


The Line Between Life and Dreams

by TheMidnightInYourEyes



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst/Sad with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Disorder, Best Friends, Depression, Emotional Baggage/Repression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Insomnia, Major Original Character(s), Mental Instability, Minor Original Character(s), Possible Bipolar Disorder, Possible Friends With Benefits, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader's sex and gender are female, Romance, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Hatred, Slow Build, Suicidal Thoughts, Tragedy/Comedy, non-canon elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 18:38:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 74,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6621838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMidnightInYourEyes/pseuds/TheMidnightInYourEyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You are living a normal life working at a pets store. You suffer from mild/severe depression, nights are impossible to get proper sleep due to chronic insomnia, and you have major trust/commitment issues. Monsters have been on the surface for quite some time, but you still have yet to see any in your small town. </p>
<p>You go into work after another sleepless night expecting just another shitty day, only to find that monsters have indeed found their way to your city when you bump into one! </p>
<p>How will this effect your mundane life? Maybe monsters might help with your depression...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Another Shitty Night

**Author's Note:**

> So, honestly, this story was more of a journal for me. It wasn't going to be a fanfiction, but it just kind of happened. I hope you guys will enjoy this. I'll probably be editing it more quite a bit, but if you have any suggestions or see any grammar/misspellings/etc., please let me know!
> 
> Also, I apologize for anything that upsets anyone. Consider this a warning if you struggle from depression/suicidal thoughts/insomnia, please DO NOT read this. It has a lot of self-hate and I don't want anybody not fully understanding what they're getting into.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After another practically sleepless night, you go to work hoping for just another boring day. Sadly, things just keep going downhill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, this is my life with some embellishment, so take it with a grain of salt.

**_Dark, darker still. It surrounded you._ **

**_There was nothing. It was just infinite blackness._ **

**_Look left, then right. Turn around to look behind you and still nothing. Turn the other way. Still nothing._ **

**_You tried to reach out. Nothing was there. Your feet on solid ground that you can't see._ **

**_You run. Faster. Faster still. The adrenaline was pulsing through your blood like a race horse. Heart hammering at a million miles an hour._ **

**_The darkness was a void, never ending. The more you ran, the more you felt it absorb your very essence. Like water rising in a hurricane and swallowing everything. Your feet carried you what you assumed was a lengthy distance. With only the infinite abyss of black to keep you company, you didn't know how long or far you had been running._ **

**_You collapsed onto the invisible ground, gripping your chest and gasping for huge gulps of air. Your throat screamed at you for water, something to quench the burning sensation scratching at it and your lungs. You were on your forearm, hunched over like you were going to vomit. You felt it coming, but only dry heaved. The running had been too much for you._ **

**_You stared down into the blackness underneath you. Sweat dripped into the void and made no visible markings on you or the ground beneath you._ **

**_Arms lunge out from the darkness, grasping a firm hold on your throat. They squeeze, tighter and tighter. Nails dig into your skin. You can feel them piercing it slowly in their vice grip. They lift your exhausted body off the blackness to hover in it._ **

**_Like a snake with its prey. Slowly constricting you, sapping the life out of you. You were already struggling for breath, finding none. You coughed, the grip increasing. You felt something coiling around your body too. Every breath you took made less room for air. Whatever was on your body was getting tighter._ **

**_"You're worthless. I never loved you. How dare you abandon me?! You filthy little bitch!"_ **

**_Tighter. The snake was overtaking you._ **

**_"You don't deserve happiness! I'll take it all away from you!"_ **

**_You felt something warm slide down your chest, but didn't have the strength to look. Blood dripping from the nails puncturing your skin, you guessed. Your vision was starting to blur._ **

**_"Nobody will ever believe you; you were always such a dirty liar!"_ **

**_You struggled to keep your eyes open, to keep the darkness from swallowing you whole. It was closing in, in the peripherals of your vision._ **

**_"You're just good for being used and manipulated! That's all you'll ever be good for! You were never anything special, just a disgusting lie!"_ **

**_Before the darkness overcame you, a face filled your blurred sight. You couldn't make out the details, but you knew who it was. Fear overtook your body, and you quivered. You shook as the figure cackled above you._ ** ****

**_Everything faded to black._ **

* * *

 

You jolt awake, taking your hands to your throat. You scratched at it, the feeling still lingering as a fiery heat. You kept searching; gasping for huge lungfuls of oxygen. You were sitting up, and now felt your hands hold the sheets in a death grip. You took in everything around you frantically. Your eyes darted to your chest as you felt droplets of water sliding down your bare breasts. One hand released the sheets momentarily before moving to your chest, taking a little of the water. You rubbed it between two fingers. More water fell onto your chest. You took your hand to your face, feeling up your skin to the water's origin.

You were crying.

You shook, not daring to get up and move. You felt heaviness in your limbs, too tired to have the strength. You curled up in your knees, laying your head on them. You watched the tears fall onto your legs now. You were dizzy, nauseous after that ordeal. You felt heat rising up your esophagus. You quickly leaned over the bed, vomiting into the trash next to it. Tears kept falling as you heaved. Once, then twice. The third time was just bile, which burned your throat and tongue. You quivered above the bin, eyeing the previous contents of your stomach. Something yellow and brown, red hints swirling within the mess. You knew what the red was; blood.

You rose and dropped your body back into the bed, the taste filling your mouth and making you feel sick again.

What time was it? You reached over to your phone and tapped the home button; 4:17am glowed back at you in the dim light of your room.

You had nyctophobia; a fear of the dark. That dream had taken more out of you than you realized. You still felt the adrenaline pumping through you, your heart never slowing down. You clenched your teeth as you took greedy attempts for air through your nose.

The dark was something you feared, for good reason. You'd seen things shuffling in it, heard whispers in your ear from the shadows.

You remembered one night you had seen a beast slithering into the blackness, behind the banister of the stairs. You only saw the tail, pointed with spikes of blood red and fading into a coal-colored body. It almost blended into the night, but you could see it. The tail swished as it left your vision. You remember running as quickly and quietly as you could up the stairs, shutting your door tightly shut and staring daggers into it. You feared the monster would come find you, gobble you up or just snap your body in half. You were always the worst case scenario thinker. You didn't sleep much that night. Your mother heard your story and thought you were seeing demons, her boyfriend at the time thinking you were crazy. You didn't know which one was right, but it proved that nobody would really believe you. Nobody could see these...  **things**  that you could see. You didn't know what to call them, you didn't know what they were. You were too logical and rational to just come up with something to call them without at least knowing what they  **were**.

The hum of the television lighting your room buzzed in your ear as your heart slowed down. You unclenched your teeth and took a deep breath. In, then out. Another one. In, then out. You didn't realize you had stopped crying as well, feeling your body drain of any energy it had once possessed. Your eyes lazily trained on the screen. Something on YouTube, Markiplier or Game Grumps. You couldn't remember which you flicked on before bed that night. Not that you slept much anyway, but you slept better with the light and white noise. You watched the show, blurry without your glasses and you couldn't make precise details out. You didn't mind though, it was a welcomed distraction. You had seen these videos so many times before, so many nights before specifically. Waking up from nightmares that felt incredibly lucid was a common occurrence the past year. You weren't sure why, but you chalked it up to your brain trying to torture you. Anything to deny the truth you knew in the back of your mind.

You hadn't noticed how much time had passed until your alarm blared at you, signaling that you needed to get ready. Work didn't really appeal to you, but what could you do? Money was money, and you weren't one to just 'call in sick'. You rarely called in sick; it just wasn't like you. You flung your legs over the bed and threw the blankets off you. You rubbed your eyes, yawning at the emptiness of the house. On nights like these, you were glad you lived alone. You couldn't imagine what you had done in your sleep during that nightmare, what it might've been like to any potential roommates. You rose sluggishly and went to the bathroom; turning on the hot water faucet and tying your hair in a messy bun. It was sloppy, but your hair was too long and would get in the way otherwise. You flossed while waiting for the water to heat up. You washed your face, the hot water and facial wash getting off the salt residue the tears had left on your skin. You dried off and started brushing your teeth.

You hadn't looked in the mirror, afraid of your reflection. You rinsed out your mouth and peered up to look at yourself. An exhausted, puffy eyed doppelgänger looked back at you. You rubbed your cheeks, then under your eyes. They were so sore and swollen. You took a tube of your favorite under eye puffiness/dark circle reducer, lulling it back and forth under your tired eyes. The cool sensation felt good against the heated skin and you stood there as it dried. It was gone as soon as it came.

_You're ugly, you know that? Nobody really likes you and will never like you because you always look so trashy._

You went to your room and found your work clothes; typical uniform of khakis, an undershirt, and work branded t shirt. You plopped yourself back down on the bed and rolled some socks on your feet. You slid your pants on, pulled the undershirt then t shirt over your head, and finally put your purse over your body. You took your brush and went back to the bathroom. You brushed your hair as best as you could get and pulled it into a ponytail. You never bothered doing your hair because it always ended up in the way. Why bother fixing it?

_Maybe if you weren't such a slob, people would actually like you. Well, at least until you talk to them. You couldn't honestly be more of a pretentious prick._

You tightened the band and shuffled to the front door to put your shoes on. One slipped on, then the other. You reached into your purse for your keys and left the house, locking the door behind you. The drive to work was uneventful, other than the occasional idiot on the road. The dream kept flashing behind your eyelids each time you blinked. You walked inside, noticing a coworker putting stock away on the shelf and waving at you politely. You waved back.

_They all hate you, every single one of them. All your coworkers want nothing to do with you or your shitty personality. You're an asshole, and nobody likes an asshole. They put up with you because they **have**  to._

You felt yourself droop your shoulders at that, but brushed it off. You shook your head, sliding your card to clock you in. Suddenly, you're jolted away from your thoughts by another coworker; this one trying to scare you on purpose. You thought he was anyway. It didn't work and you only laugh at him, the laugh being empty behind your smile. It was show time.

"So I totally love her! Like, we adult-kissed last night! It was amazing!"

He was buzzing with happiness, giddy from the tips of his toes to the hairs on his head. Ever since he started dating, his mind always revolved around one thing.

_He's rubbing it in your face that you'll never be loved by anybody. He knows that bitches like you don't get happy endings. You'll never be good enough for them._

"Seriously, dude? Have long have you been dating her now? You're such a dork."

You plastered that same smile, the thought of how short he had been dating setting in. How long had it been? A month? Five months? Days were blurring together in your mind and it was already June now.

"C'mon April, it's been two months!... But I  **know**  that I love her. She's just so sweet; I seriously don't know what I did to deserve such a nice girl..."

_Yup, you'll never have that. He hates you so he's making you feel horrible for being what you are; a cold-hearted bitch with nobody who will ever love you._

You laughed as you went to put your things away. He followed after you and told you about the plan for the morning. Typical opening procedures and nothing fancy. He mentioned something about your manager having a task for you both later, and you joked around that it would keep his mind off his new girlfriend and on actual work. He scoffed at you playfully as you left to get started.

_He wasn't joking, you know. He wants to tell you what a horrible person you are and that he never wants to see you again. He hates working with you the most... He hates **you**  the most._

You felt your shoulders slump the instant he was busy, running off to go do his part of the work. You let out a sigh you didn't know was brewing and looked at your clenching hands. You always did this when nobody was looking; it was almost therapeutic to you. It drowned almost everything out... 

_You know I'm never going away. I'll always tell you what people really think about you and how worthless you really are. You're pathetic, you know? You don't even have the strength to tune me out today. I'm going to make today a living **hell** for you, if it wasn't already with that nightmare this morning._

 You took a deep breath and tried to put on your best mask. Maybe if you stayed a little quieter today, that might help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this and want to read more. I wasn't really sure about posting this, but hey, if people like it then maybe that'll make it worth something... Anyway!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	2. How Clumsy Can You Get?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So you go about your shitty day and happen across your first monster. Well, 'happen across' is a very loose term for it...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it seems that people actually like this story, which is really nice. I mean, not that you can't hate it or anything, but I'm glad some people like it. As I said, since I've seen some appeal for more of this, I'll post a few more chapters. I hope you all enjoy this and hopefully this chapter won't uh... be a downer for some.

It didn't.

Reese came up later that day, eyeing you suspiciously. You couldn't help the knot forming in your stomach.

"Are you feeling alright? You've been super quiet today."

You cursed under your breath. The one day he chooses to be observant, he had to choose today.

_He wants to see that look on your face. You don't even really want his company. Just tell him to hate you, he already does anyway. What's wrong with just making it clear that you already know?_

You smiled, the same fake smile and laugh you always used gracing your lips. You chastised him in a teasing tone.

"I'm just tired, didn't get much sleep. Are you worried about me?"

He frowned at you, something clouding his expression. He laughed a little, but you could tell it wasn't genuine. Something about that flash of emotion for just a second made that knot coil tighter.

"You're not upset, are you? Did I do something? You can talk to me if you need to."

You tried to hide the frown creeping on your lips. This wasn't a conversation you wanted to have, especially not with him. No offense to him, but this just wasn't the time.

"I'm fine, dude." You laughed this off, you had to. "Seriously, we oughta get back to work."

He sighed, seeming conflicted. He brushed off the topic and didn't probe for more. You sighed in relief. He was nice. You don't talk about this. Or  **her**. She was taboo. Not like anybody would believe you even if you told them. They would think you're crazy.

Seriously, you were going crazy.

You knew that much. 

The rest of the morning passed without incident. You were thankful everybody including Reese — your interrogator earlier — seemed busy.

* * *

 

That was... until 12 o'clock pm rolled around.

You had just gotten your lunch and were mindlessly scrolling through your phone. Then it happened. You felt a slight force on your ponytail and knew immediately what it was. Or well, who it was.

You turned to see the man towering over you, his hair slicked back with the typical gel and that silly perma-grin on his face. It reminded you so much of yours that it made you simultaneously sad and happy at the same time. Something was wrong with you.

He had slapped at your hair to make it sway back and forth. You still weren't sure why he did this. He insisted he did it to others, but you never saw it happen.

_He just wants to bully you enough till you leave. He knows that it bothers you to get in your personal space... Just some more pushing before you're gone!_

"What'd you get me?"

You laughed that same false laugh. You tried to make your tone sound teasing in your typical joking manner.

"Nothing, Jason. This is  **my**  lunch, get your own."

He frowned at you and didn't say anything. This was new; he'd never done this before.

_You've finally drove him away with your bitchiness. Now he has the perfect excuse to avoid you. Way to go, idiot._

You couldn't really help it; if you let it show then who knows what he might try to do. Then again, he gave you a lot of mixed signals.

"I didn't mean that. I mean, you're welcome to some if you want it. I'm just super hungry. Didn't have breakfast this morning, heh."

His smile returned and he saddled up right next to your face. You unconsciously took a few scrolls back in the computer chair you sat in.

"You're fine, I was just messing with you."

_He wasn't. He just doesn't want to cause a problem and be fired because of you._

You rose quickly, but slowly as to not rise suspicion, and made your way to the time-clock machine. You grabbed your card and slid it down to confirm you clocking back in from lunch before readjusting your name tag back on your chest. It had seemed like a really short 30 minutes, but you praised the distraction.

"Oh, I gotta get back to work! I'll catch you later, Jason!"

Reese burst in behind Jason at the doorway and looked at you.

"Are you going to Viper on Friday? Just want to see who's all going."

The bar, seriously? You still weren't sure why they even wanted to invite you considering you weren't crazy about bars. You said matter-of-fact, and slightly harsh, as you rushed past them both.

"I'm not sure, I'll let you know."

You put your stuff away and hurried back into the store. You rushed down the aisles. There had to be something,  **anything**  you could do to distract yourself. You turned a corner. Stocking, facing, scrubbing, any–

You were jolted from your thoughts and thrust back violently against the floor. Your brain felt like it rocked around in your skull a little. Your eyes snapped shut upon impact with the ground. You felt soreness on your backside that you were sure would turn into a bruise later. You rubbed your forehead as you peered your eyes open, senses coming back to see what you hit.

In front of you — sprawled out in a similar fashion like yourself — was a skeleton dressed in a fluffy blue hoodie, some basketball shorts, and... slippers?

Your mouth almost dropped, but you did your best to keep it from doing what came naturally. You blinked in an attempt at a double take without shaking your still recovering head. You were seeing things, you had to be! But this never happened in the daytime... You felt your blood run cold and your breathing increased ever so slightly. This thing had been corporeal enough to touch and knock you over. Fear overtook your body and you began to shake unconsciously. How could this happen? They had never been like this! You didn't want the visions, or whatever they were, to get worse!

But... You hadn't seen anything like this though. Everything you had seen was truly something out of a horror film; solid white faces peering through windows, hell hounds looking at you with gleaming eyes in the shadows, beings clad in black stalking in the darkness of your home. This thing was... **silly**  at most. You thought skeletons were frightening to an extent, but this one had on the strangest outfit you'd ever seen. Plus its face had a smile — albeit a strained one — plastered on it. That kind of took the scaring appeal away. You took a hand to your chest to calm down, taking some deep breaths. You heard a grunt from in front of you and shot your eyes at the being you had hit.

"ugh... you've got a pretty hard head, buddy. and that's saying a lot considering i'm a skeleton."

It was...  **talking**. Talking directly to you in a somewhat deep tone, but still talking. It was a male you assumed, but you weren't sure. Its tone sounded that way at least. Was this being real and not a hallucination? You hoped so for your sanity's sake. The white lights of his eyes trained on you and you felt a shiver run up your spine.

"you alright over there, kid? you've got a pretty strange look on your face."

He still had that strained smile, but those words had a slight edge to them. You had heard and done this tone before, so it wasn't foreign to you. You could understand what it was; judgement and uneasiness. This skeleton was trying to warn you from doing something irrational.

_He hates you already and you haven't even said a word to him. You just can't do anything right. You should just die because you ruin everything._

You tried to smile, but you were still afraid. Maybe more so with the fact that this skeleton was corporeal  **and**  sentient, even being judgmental about the look you were giving him. Why were you being so rude? He seemed as real as could be, but you couldn't help your heart racing in your chest. You swallowed your fear as much as you could and stood up, offering him a hand.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Can I help you up?"

He eyed your hand suspiciously, and you honestly couldn't blame him. You had been staring out of fear and who knows what you might do? You knew monsters had come up from Mt. Ebott years ago and were still struggling to blend in to society. You honestly had never seen one yet in your little town, so he was the first. There had been both hate and peace towards them; cyber bullies making it that much harder to get them rights and activists doing their best to help them integrate. You had stayed out of it. You weren't really one to meddle with such things. You tried your best to get the smile back on your face, realizing that this skeleton was indeed real and not a figment of whatever your brain thought would scare you. Though his previous tone had slightly startled you, you were no longer frightened of him.

"Please, I should at least help you up since I wasn't looking where I was going and knocked you over. I promise I won't do anything."

His eyes shot open, maybe unaware that you knew he had at least entertained the idea that you might have ulterior motives. You saw his face cloud over, until he readjusted his eyes into a lazy expression and his smile oozed the same sentiment. He took your hand and you pulled him up.

"thanks, kid."

As he released it, something akin to a bolt of static electricity shot through your hand. You couldn't describe what the sensation felt like as it fizzled in the tendons of your wrist. It made its way up, dancing along the nerves in your arm. You jumped slightly as it tickled the vertebrae of your spine. A warmth spread through your body seconds after the static. The only thing you could compare it to would be wrapping yourself in a security blanket. You felt the tension die down in your muscles as it settled somewhere deep in your chest. You felt yourself longing to feel it again, but couldn't help the natural smile gracing your lips.

_What the hell is wrong with you? What was that shock he gave you?! I bet he was trying to kill you!_

You hadn't felt so relaxed and calm in a long time. It was so strange. Like all the negative emotions and fears from your nightmare — just  **everything**  — had faded away.

"I'm really sorry for bumping into you. Are you alright?"

The small skeleton gazed at you, something like worry flashing over his expression. Had you done something, other than knocking him over? Maybe it was something you said? Monsters did have a different culture, even though it was similar to humans.

_No, he probably just realized what you did and doesn't want you to hurt him again. You're such a stupid klutz._

You were determined not to make a bad impression. Whatever he had done to you had been a god send, and you were genuinely grateful. You stepped back a little to give him space. He seemed to relax a bit at that and grinned lazily again.

"i'm fine, buddy." He winked, "no broken bones,  **tibia**  honest with ya."

You blinked. Was that...? It was.

You erupted into a fit of giggles. You really couldn't understand why, but it just made you laugh so hard that tears came to your eyes. You wiped them away, not wanting the swelling already there to get worse.

You calmed yourself down and saw that your skeleton acquaintance had a pleased grin on his face. His smile hadn't really left, but it at least seemed that way now. You returned it until you remembered you hadn't done the spiel you normally did for customers.

"Oh crap!"

He jumped at your sudden outburst. You covered your mouth and sighed.

"I'm sorry; I haven't asked you if I can help you find anything."

You saw the little skeleton ease up at that and smile.

"you say sorry a lot, kid." He laughed, "it's alright, i think i found what i was looking for anyway..."

You examined his hands and saw nothing.

"But you don't..." You stopped yourself, "Alright, well if you need anything else, just let me know."

You turned and started to walk off to give him some space like you would any normal customer. Before you could get very far, you felt a firm, but gentle tug pulling you back. You turned to see his bony hand grasping your forearm. It didn't feel like a typical human hand, more like smoothly cut marble or porcelain. And it wasn't scalding, but warmer than the usual human temperature. It gave off that same static feeling you got before. You desperately held back the contented sigh that threatened to fall from your lips.

_He probably really does want to kill you. Can probably even sense what a horrible person you are... All that talk of souls and such said they could usually see through humans. Your soul's just black and full of hatred, he can see it._

Your face curled into a horrified expression and you began to shake. What if he really could see into your soul and was disgusted? You could physically hide your wounds, but to something that could see into the very core of your being... There was no hiding anything, right?

He noticed the change in your features and immediately took his hand away.

"i didn't mean to startle you... i know humans don't–..." He cut himself off, averting his gaze and scratched the back of his skull, "i just forgot to ask your name..."

You felt the tension in your neck fade a little, maybe he hadn't noticed? You were making this worse than it really was...

"April."

He startled, returning his gaze to your eyes.

"what?"

"My name. It's April."

"oh..."

He smiled lazily again and reached out his hand with a wink.

"i'm sans, sans the skeleton."

You giggled at that last part as you shook his hand.

 **Pfffffrrrrtttt**.

A loud fart sound came from between your hands and you blushed. Then you realized what it was. You laughed loudly, almost doubled over again at this prank. This skeleton was clearly a comedian, or at the very least an extremely dedicated prankster.

"It's nice to meet you, Sans."

"nice to meet ya, too, april."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you liked Sans first appearance. Obviously he'll make a lot more appearances, and eventually you'll see a few more characters. But first, next chapter is gonna be a major downer for some. Spoiler warning!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	3. So Much For The Rest Of The Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You met Sans, and boy was he a character. What you didn't expect was for another sleepless night from something new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said at the end of the last chapter, this has a lot of triggers. In short, panic attacks and nightmares. If you suffer from anything or are upset by dark thoughts/mental breakdowns, DO NOT READ. But, I assume with the tags I put, if you were you wouldn't be reading this... STILL! For those rule-breakers out there! 
> 
> On a good(ish) note, another dream sequence comes in. I hope you all enjoy nonetheless!

You heard the shuffling of two pairs of feet behind you and knew somebody was coming. They burst from the other side of the aisle. You swiveled around to meet them and they both stared at you incredulously. It was Reese and Jason.

"April, what's going on?"

"We could hear you all the way in the time-clock room!"

You felt yourself redden a bit at the fact that they could hear you. Why had you been so vocal at work? This wasn't like you at all.

_Yeah, way to blow your cover. Not like you had one, you mega bitch. Your laughing just annoyed them so much, they had to come stop you._

You sighed and began to explain about your new acquaintance.

"Sorry, sorry. I was just talking to–"

You turned to find nobody there. Not a trace of the skeleton. Your smile seemed to have vanished along with him. You were startled... At least at first. You jogged to the end of the aisle where you could see all the way down from front to end of the store. Not even a glimpse of his slippers. You checked the next aisles over, but still nothing. He couldn't have gotten far at all in only a matter of seconds. Where had he gone? Panic set in and you second guessed yourself. Had you really seen him? Maybe he  **was**  a figment and you  **were**  going crazy... No! He had knocked into you and even made conversation! He was real, you were sure! Mostly... Kind of. You felt a cold sweat forming on your forehead. You were about to check again when you heard some giggling from behind you.

"Were you just laughing by yourself? That's weird, hahahaha!"

"No kidding, I know that stocking is  **so**  much fun and all."

You were growing pale, all color draining from your face. Your blood ran cold under your skin and you were shaking. They were getting worse... You couldn't convince yourself otherwise. The visions, or hallucinations, or whatever they  **were**  were getting worse! You felt your voice shaking in your throat as you barely piped up.

"Ha... Yeah... I'm uh... Maybe I should take a break for a minute, I'll be back."

You couldn't stop yourself. You were having a breakdown. The fear was setting in and the nightmare came back full force. Whatever that skeleton had done to make you feel so calm came back tenfold against you. Your throat was closing up, hands shaking uncontrollably. You raced into the bathroom, slamming and locking a stall shut. You ran your fingers through your hair, releasing it from its ponytail. You nearly pulled your hair out. A few strands stuck in your fingers; the pain burning on your scalp. You were pretty sure that it bled a little. Your heart was pounding, adrenaline and panic running through you. Not here... You couldn't have one here. Anywhere but where people could see you. What if somebody came into the bathroom?

You were hyperventilating now. You couldn't take a deep breath. You tried so hard. Just slow quivers of air through your lips.

_You're pathetic **and**  you're going crazy. What's better is soon you'll be where you belong; a mental hospital with a bunch of other lunatics. Then your only company will be me._

You started breathing harder. You couldn't stop the shaking becoming violent. Darkness was closing in. It took everything you had not to start crying. You couldn't here, not now. You wished to whatever gods that be that you wouldn't do this now. Just pretend it's not real, he wasn't real. Just a harmless hallucination, nothing more. Who cares that he had actually bumped into you and talked to you? It wasn't harmful.

You felt blood rushing to your new bruise. It stung as you thought about the situation. You knew it was real. No matter how you tried to convince yourself, he was more real than anything else before him. The hallucinations... The voices... The soon-to-be nightmares... You felt tears drip down your cheeks. Your attempt at stopping them wasn't enough. Why were you like this? Why couldn't you just be normal like everybody else? You couldn't just chalk it up to insomnia or poor health. Your mind was messing with you in the worst way possible and there was no escape. You were spiraling. Like falling down a hole with no end in sight. Your vision disappeared behind your tears. You couldn't stop yourself from sobbing. You cursed yourself for doing this with people around. You could've held it in if you hadn't had this bruise. It was destroying your sanity bit by bit.

Suddenly, the door creaked open and your sobs choked in your throat.

"April, are you okay? You've been in here for a while and I thought I heard wheezing."

Fuck, somebody had come to check on you. How long had you been in here? You checked your phone. 10 minutes. Not long, but long enough for somebody to notice. It was female, probably Diane. She was a nice team lead from what you could tell. You straightened your voice as much as you could, but you still felt your throat closing up.

"I-I'm fine, just—" you coughed, "just have some tummy trouble."

You prayed that she wouldn't come any further inside. You couldn't hear anything, footsteps or otherwise. The bathroom was silent a few moments, and then you heard the voice again.

"Okay, well it's almost the end of your shift. You can leave early if you want to. Though you sound like you might need to."

What did that mean? Could she tell what was going on? You felt relieved at the realization that even if she did, she wasn't the person to ask questions or tell anybody. Thank the heavens that of everybody in the store, she was the one to check on you.

"I'm good, I-I'll be out in a minute."

You heard the door creak shut again and sighed. You wiped the tears from your eyes and waited. Just a few minutes to ensure she was fully gone. You got up and out of the stall, shutting it behind you. With heavy footsteps, you made your way to the sink. Cold water would ease the redness and swelling. You made sure your hair was tied back, readjusting it into its former ponytail. You turned on the faucet and splashed it against your face. Your hands scrubbed at the fresh tear tracks. You took a glimpse at your face and still saw some red. Once more. You scrubbed again, lighter this time. You tensed the minute the cold water hit your face, but relaxed as it cooled away the heat that had been building up. Another splash. You looked at your reflection, not quite happy but satisfied that your breakdown wouldn't be that noticeable. You took your phone out of your pocket to check the time again; 12:27pm.

You got off at 12:30pm.

You felt a ping of happiness surging in your gut. Not much longer till you left. It had been a long day and you just wanted to sleep. Pretend that this morning never happened and that your hallucinations weren't actually getting worse. You took a deep breath, examining your closing and opening fists. In, then out. You did it a few more times, clenching and releasing in rhythm. In, then out. Close, then open. In, then out. Close, then open. Your heart slowed down and the energy sapped out of you. These attacks were exhausting, and you were glad you could just go home and sleep.

_They know you're crazy. Not much longer until somebody reports you and then it'll be just you and me. All by ourselves... **Forever**._

You left the bathroom after fixing your clothes. You made your way to grab your things and headed to the time-clock room. Your card slid down with a beep, signaling you clocked out. It made a brief **tink**  sound as it fell into an empty card holder. You went to your car without saying goodbye to anybody 

When you got home, you stripped down and curled under your sheets. You fell asleep before you knew it. You didn't know how long you were out for, but nightmares didn't plague the naps you had during the day. Maybe a few hours tops; that was how it usually was. You woke up sometime later. It was comfortable in your bed, but you needed a shower. You rolled out of the covers and made it to the bathroom. You didn't dare look in the mirror. You just turned on the water, waited for it to warm up, and did your usual routine. Wash your hair and body, and then dry off. Nothing fancy. You didn't play your music this time; then again you weren't in the mood for it tonight. You got out and dried yourself off before returning to your bed. You weren't tired anymore, just drained. You didn't have any energy, even with the power nap. That's what you called it anyway, even though it didn't really give you energy, or power, at all. You sighed and mindlessly watched your television. Game Grumps, you figured. The voices were too high pitched to be Markiplier. He was more baritone and deep. You picked up your phone on the nightstand to see it flicker with 2:45am. You had been asleep for a while, but must've been watching YouTube videos for longer than you thought. You rolled over and felt yourself succumb to sleep again.

* * *

 

**_You were at a pub. You couldn't place which one it was. A voice was talking. You recognized it, but it wasn't your own. Yet it was coming from your mouth. Or what you thought was your mouth. You couldn't examine your hands, but saw loose connections of skeletal phalanges gesturing in the air. You couldn't control your vision. Your voice sounded much deeper, too. You felt the world seem just a tad shorter than it usually was, even when sitting. Which you had assumed you were doing since you felt something firm underneath you. It was like watching a movie through somebody else's eyes. You felt sick, but your physical body did not. You couldn't ease the out-of-place feeling that you got from viewing the world without physical control over yourself. You could hear the being's voice and thoughts, even their current feelings. You felt disoriented, even though you were firmly planted to the ground._ **

**_It was loud, and the patrons were laughing at somebody's jokes. Your jokes. One right after the other came out, and sent everybody into a frenzy of guffaws and cackles. You felt like this place had become a home away from home; everybody here knew you. It was warm, constant heat emitting from everywhere._ **

**_"You're hilarious!" You heard a dog bark loudly. He was with a pack of them by a card table._ **

**_"Sherioushly *hiccup* you oughta work at *hiccup* MTT reshort more!"_ **

**_The bunny was tripping over his words. You heard yourself sigh. He'd had too much to drink. You kept up your smile as you kept the jokes coming. A bright hand patted your shoulder. You turned around — away from your roaring audience — to see a living embodiment of fire looking back at you. You thought that, anyway. You couldn't see any eyes behind the pair of glasses always there, but he seemed to be looking at you. You felt your smile falter a little, but keep it plastered for the most part on your face._ **

**_"grillbz, what's up? you look a little hot under the collar."_ **

**_The bar burst into hysterical laughter again. Your counterpart seemed to scold you, his flames bursting a little higher. It was only enough for you to notice. You were really observant of this old friend of yours._ **

**_"aww, don't look so heated."_ **

**_The crowd kept laughing. It was always lively and business boomed whenever you were here. Your flaming friend shook his head and gestured for you to stop. You sighed and complied, your audience calming down to continue their own conversations._ **

**_You could hear a crackle of approval, pleased that you listened. You put your arms on the bar counter in front of you._ **

**_"Where is Papyrus?"_ **

**_He looked down at you for your answer. He definitely was a monster of few words._ **

**_"he should be patrolling as usual. that's what he always does, remember?"_ **

**_He shook his head._ **

**_"What about the human?"_ **

**_You sat silent for a moment. Of course he could tell a human was wandering around. You were able to trick everyone else, but he knew better. Where was he going with this though? You kept an eye on them, you always did every time. Every single play through was the same. Although... They seemed a little off this time. You tried to think nothing of it._ **

**_"not sure. but they're probably somewhere around–"_ **

**_Your voice caught in your throat. Something squeezed tightly at your chest. It was like a ton of bricks had been dumped on you._ **

**_Something was wrong._ **

**_You got up from the bar stool. The fire monster tried to reach for you — to see what was wrong — but you teleported outside._ **

**_The air felt stagnant. You couldn't hear anything. No kids playing, the dogs weren't barking. The usual Christmas tree was knocked over with broken glass ornaments shattered under freshly fallen snow. Pieces glimmered in the light of Grillby's sign._ **

**_Before you knew it, you were teleporting again. Snow kept falling; the air around was colder than usual. You were at your house and the lights were off. Where was Papyrus?_ **

**_A dark feeling started to take hold of you. Dread. You teleported to the edge of town. Your eyes scanned around. You noticed just in time to see some dust floating away into the wind._ **

**_You were too late._ **

**_You hid behind a tree before you were spotted. You could only sit speechless to observe the scene before you. A human child walked past, laughing in the wake of their crime. A crimson red scarf lay in the snow next to a fresh pile of dust. You felt your hands clench into fists as you watched the human leave your sight. You took slow, cautious steps towards the scarf. The snow crunched under your feet._ **

**_Your soul sank as you stepped closer to it. You knew what had happened._ **

**_"pap... papyrus?"_ **

**_Nothing answered you except the wind and snow blowing in the breeze. You felt tears falling from your eyes before you could stop them. Your legs gave out under you to collapse in front of the scarf. You felt empty, broken. You sobbed loudly into the void of the forest. Why had they done this? He was so innocent and would never hurt anybody. He had believed in them..._ **

**_You took the scarf in your bony hands and cried into the fabric. You felt your soul fill with despair. This was what was wrong. The human... They had killed him. Why they did it, you weren't sure. You weren't even sure if you wanted to know. You could smell the scent of bone and a hint of spaghetti. Your cries grew louder._ **

**_Of all the things they could've done, they did this. They had killed him... They killed Papyrus._ **

**_You felt guilty. For leaving them alone. For assuming that this time would be the same as all the others, even though you had noticed they weren't the same. For thinking that being at Grillby's instead of watching them was a good idea. For believing that you had kept a close eye on them, when clearly you hadn't. For slipping up on your duty to protect the inhabitants of your little world. For not properly watching out for Papyrus, the only thing left in this place for you..._ **

**_For not just killing the human when you had seen a change in their behavior._ **

**_Something broke inside you, and a scream broke the silence in the air. Your anguish was growing over the loss. He meant the world to you, and he was your everything. You had protected him with your life, only to have him taken away._ **

**_You felt a righteous fury start burning in your soul. A fire that kept growing. The more you played in your head the scene you had witnessed, the bigger the fire grew. You clenched your hands deep into the scarf. Your tears had made it damp, but you wrapped it around your neck. This was the last piece you had. The last piece of him... You weren't going to let this go like you had so many other things. You were patient, but this was the last straw. You rose to your feet and stared off into the direction the child had gone._ **

**_"papyrus... i won't let them get away with this. they will get what they deserve, i swear to you."_ **

**_Everything disappeared in a flurry of snow._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo... Not quite the worst, but not the best. There's more to come in the future *cough* next few chapters *cough*. After that, maybe one or two more thus far. We'll see how I feel about them in the coming chapters... I hope you all liked my take on the whole 'Genocide route Sans' thing. It was difficult to write in all honesty, but I just kind of channeled some feelings I've had regarding losses in my life. I've never lost somebody so close, but I have had regrets about certain people who have passed... Enough about sad stuff!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	4. And The Week Just Keeps Getting Better and Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So that nightmare has been haunting you every night, but luckily a certain little skeleton can take your mind off it!... Or so you think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready, ladies and gents. This chapter gets intense, more than last chapter anyway. Let's just say sleep can't help you this time. This chapter puts the ball in motion for future events, just keep that in mind. Well, this one and the last one. Oh, and so that you guys can keep it in mind as well, dream sequences will be prominent throughout this story. I've decided it was a pretty interesting element and some of you guys liked it sooo... just keep that in mind.

You jerked up and took a hand to your chest. You were sobbing uncontrollably. Why were you so distraught? That dream came back to your mind making you cry even harder. You tried to catch your breath, but it wouldn't come. You were getting dizzy; tears just kept falling. You couldn't stop sobbing, not even knowing you could ever have this many tears. You tried to get up, but your body was being strapped down by grief. It was in no way willing to cooperate and move. You were wiping your tears away, even though they just kept coming. You would really make the old saying of crying a river true at this rate.

You focused your mind on something else. Anything else you could think of. The tears slowed a little until a flash of red came into view. It was like a trigger, and they began falling full force again.

What had you seen? It felt so real, but at the same time you had never seen it before. You knew that dreams at least based themselves off reality, even if they were sometimes highly improbable to actually happen in the real world. You had never even been to that location and you weren't 'yourself' respectively in that dream. You were somebody else, but you couldn't picture who in your head. You couldn't see their face or anything. The only thing you could see was their hands, only hear their thoughts, and just remember their voice.

What were you even crying over? It was like the world had shattered underneath your feet. Like somebody had died in front of you, but nobody was there to see. Whoever they were, they must've been somebody very important to whoever you had been in that dream. You thought back at what their relationship might've been. Maybe a spouse? No, but that seemed close... A loved one seemed more likely. Maybe a father? No, but you felt like you were getting warmer.

A sibling?

A fresh new flooding of tears filled your eyes, and spilled over your face. You could hear that fragile, broken voice echo in your head the name over and over. You vocalized it.

"Papyrus..."

You didn't know anybody named Papyrus, but that's what they had called the pile of dust and the red scarf. You kept sobbing. Was Papyrus a pile of dust? That didn't seem realistic though. Why would they have been so upset over something like a pile of dust being as such?

_When a monster dies, they turn to dust. I thought you would remember that article you read, dimwit._

You knew why you were crying now. She had made that clear. Papyrus had been murdered and turned to dust before your observer could find them. They had seemed pretty frantic in your dream when they were looking for them.

What was with that child though? The pieces were coming together to form the fact that they had murdered this Papyrus, and if you remembered correctly, they laughed in the wake of it. Only a truly psychotic person would kill for fun! You felt your body quivering in fear. What if that human was real? If there was such a monster — figuratively speaking — prowling the streets of the surface now.

You tried to reassure yourself it was just a dream. It had to have been. You had never been wherever you were, never known someone named Papyrus, never seen that scene unfold before your eyes before that dream, never felt the loss of a loved one.

It was just a dream, just a –

Your alarm screamed at you, shaking you from your thoughts. You nearly jumped out of your skin. You reached over and almost dropped your phone, frantically trying to turn it off. It was time to get up 

You shook your head to shove these thoughts away for now. You got up feeling groggy, still recovering from crying so hard. Another day with red, swollen eyes. Just great. This week was turning out to be another shitty one.

* * *

 

And the week continued like this. Every night being plagued with the same scene, and even the slightest hint of red sending you into a panic attack. You were struggling to keep your strength up and hide the markings of your poor sleep. It almost seemed more appealing to just stay awake than risk another night of that awful nightmare. You decided to classify it as a nightmare since it haunted you like this.

You were straightening the shelves and top stock when you heard a chuckle beside you. You recognized it, but weren't sure from where. You turned to see who had made it.

It was the skeleton from before; Sans.

You jumped, losing your balance on the stool in the process. You teetered on the edge, then fell towards the ground. You knew you were going to get hurt. A nice head injury from slamming it against the shelf behind you. Maybe a twisted ankle at best. You closed your eyes, and braced yourself for the impact.

But it never came.

You felt like you were floating in midair. Something tingled against your skin, the air was electric. That static feeling from the week before was all over you, washing you in that same warmth you had felt before. It was pleasant, but disorienting at the same time. You didn't have the comfort of feeling solid ground below your feet.

You opened your eyes to see your entire body covered in a cyan blue glow. You jolted in the air, frightened by the sudden realization that something unseen was holding you steady. You couldn't really move your limbs though. You tried to shake yourself free, but it wasn't happening. Your eyes travelled around in your incoming mental episode and saw the strange glow from your acquaintance. His left eye emitted the same color your body currently was and the other socket was void of any light. Was he casting magic on you? Your heart sank in your chest. You closed your eyes and hoped this was a dream too. You prayed he wouldn't hurt you.

You were relieved when you felt yourself gently float down and placed on the ground.

You opened your eyes just a peak to see the skeleton looking at you. His eyes had returned to the white pinpricks from before, that glow completely gone. He had an odd expression.  You couldn't understand what it was, but it unnerved you. He wasn't going to kill you, right?

_This is exciting! Maybe he'll kill you before they can send you to the insane asylum... Nobody would ever believe you if you told them a skeleton had saved you by levitation!_

Your eyes widened and you gripped your chest. Your heart was hammering away, adrenaline coursing through you. You were spiraling again. You felt a panic attack coming on. You were breathing heavy and tried to steady it. You couldn't do this in front of a customer, not in the middle of the store! It was getting so hard to breathe...

"are you okay, april?"

He stepped closer and took your free hand, squeezing it firm but gentle.

"breathe with me. c'mon, you gotta calm down."

You could feel that static feeling again, coursing through your joined hands. The warmth spread through you, but it was overtaken by the darkness. He kept ushering you to breathe with him, but you could hardly hear it.

If you weren't having an attack, you would've yanked your hand away. Physical contact with a stranger made you really uncomfortable. You weren't sure why, it just did.

"april, it's okay. i won't hurt you. you need to look at me and breathe. i'm right here, buddy."

You struggled to make eye contact. Your vision had been focused like daggers into the floor. You shook as you looked at him and the nightmare came back to your mind. Fresh tears came to your eyes and you began to sob, crying silently and whispering the name from your sleep.

"I'm sorry... I-I'm s-so sorry... P-Papyrus..."

You felt the skeleton stiffen beside you. His grip increased on your hand, so much that it hurt. You could barely feel it as the tears kept coming. You watched as his white pinpricks disappeared.

You closed your eyes; that scene was playing over and over in your head. It was like a broken record player singing the same few notes. Why were you sobbing in front of this stranger? He had triggered the nightmare to come back and your tears to start again. You weren't even sure how you could produce more after all you had done this week. Every time you had woken up from that nightmare, you had sobbed for a good two hours or so. You must be running out or getting dehydrated by now. You felt your energy fading and you were getting dizzy.

The whites of his eyes came back brighter than ever. His hand released yours, taking both of them to your shoulders. He shook you, trying to snap you out of it.

"...kid?! april! you gotta stay with me!"

That was the last thing you heard before the world faded into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all the support and comments! I love to read your thoughts and talk with you! It's so nice to connect with the community through common interests and personality stuff. Anyway, I hope this one wasn't too heavy and I'm sorry it was so short. I promise next chapter will lighten things up a bit! I wasn't sure if I wanted to combine it with this one, but I decided not to. An important character makes their first appearance *hint hint*
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	5. Things Lighten Up For A While... Maybe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up to find a skeleton next to you. You're about to send him away, until he gets a phone call - it was 'interesting' to say the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I received a comment regarding my update schedule and I thought I might address it in a note in case you don't read the comments (which I don't expect anybody to, anyway). I don't necessarily have an update schedule, but I try to update at least every 3-4 days. Just so you all know. 
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is more light-hearted with a little bit of fluff. Well, somewhat. Just read and you'll see. Hopefully it makes you smile a bit before shit gets heavy again.

You woke up in your bed, disoriented and nauseous. Your throat felt so dry and your head was light. You tried to get up, but a weight was on your stomach. Your tired eyes scanned around to see what was holding you down.

It was Sans.

His eye sockets were closed. That was unexpected since he seemed to be made of bone, and that material wasn't supposed to be flexible or malleable. Yet they were acting in a similar manner to how you would close your eyes behind eyelids, only with the bone of his forehead. He was also... breathing? He didn't have lungs, since skeletons shouldn't have lungs. Right? But there he was, slowly moving up and down against the pair of arms resting on you. His permanent smile was gone, replaced by an expression akin to how you would sleep breathing through your mouth. It was covered by his teeth, but barely visible. Almost closed, but it wasn't. It grew and shrunk in tune with his breathing. Smooth, even breathes against your bed. He must be sleeping.

You started to maneuver your legs out from under his grasp, but a bony hand gripped onto the one closest to him. Your heart fell in your chest at the sudden movement and you heard some grumbling beside you.

He stirred and opened his eyes a little, dim pinpricks of light lazily training on your figure. You tried your best to remain still, unsure of what to do and trying your best to process everything. You were still somewhat out of it since your attack. He sat up and stretched, simultaneously releasing your leg. You relaxed at that, but then realized the situation.

_What the hell is going on?! You just disappeared on me! You stupid cunt, why can't you keep your shit together?_

You felt your body stiffen and your counterpart noticed. That same expression came back; the one he had right as your panic attack started. It was clouded with something else, maybe uncertainty.

"don't freak out; i just offered to watch over you for your boss. she was worried."

That didn't really make you feel any better.

"What happened? I remember some kind of static wrapping around me and... Then the rest is a blur..."

His sockets opened some more and he leaned in slightly.

"you had a... breakdown, i'm guessing? you were really distraught and you passed out. your boss had heard and came rushing over. it was awkward explaining what happened, but she wanted somebody to take you home and watch over you. nobody could at your work, and she said you lived alone so..."

Your boss had found out. Which one worked this morning? You hoped it was Diane. Please, for the love of  _stars_ , have been Diane.

"are you alright? you didn't have much, but i got some things from my place. luckily i live right down the road, heh."

He reached towards the ground and pulled out a thermos. As he unscrewed the cap, a heavenly scent filled the air. Your mouth felt dry, and you wanted whatever was in that thermos. He took the lid and poured a golden brown liquid into it. Steam wafted over to you along with the smell.

"this should help you feel better. it's called golden flower tea. some of the best healing from the underground."

In any other situation, you would've been hesitant. A stranger you had barely met was offering you a foreign liquid with an intoxicating sweet scent. This was almost the same as openly letting yourself get roofied in a bar. Not to mention the fact that he was in your apartment and had been in it for who knows how long. What if he was a threat? He had the perfect alibi, and he could kill you at any second!

You were torn from your thoughts by the aching in your esophagus. Your throat screamed at you for something, anything to quench the dryness. Your hand slowly reached for the lid and you brought it to your nose. You took a whiff, the smell filling your nostrils. It was sweet with a hint of bitterness. You could detect something similar to daffodils and lilies mixed with black tea leaves. Your mouth was starting to water. You blew on it to cool it down before taking it to your lips. Warmth filled your mouth, traveling down your throat. It flowed down your esophagus and settled deep in your abdomen. You felt a surge of energy coursing through you. You were feeling better than you had in weeks. Your throat thanked you by dispelling the nauseous feeling you had. The fog in your head cleared away.

You were feeling refreshed.

You smiled contently. You were actually feeling great for a change. Scratch that previous thought, this was the best you had felt in years! These past couple weeks had been exhausting, sleep couldn't even help you and no amount of your usual tea had been reliable. But, whatever was in this tea was truly remarkable and you wanted to ask for some more. You knew better though, and had other things on your mind.

"I'm sorry for troubling you... This wasn't supposed to happen."

You curled up, thinking to yourself.

' _How do I explain this without looking like a freak?..._ '

You took a deep breath and put your hands back in your lap, gripping the sheets underneath you. You weren't comfortable with him in your house, but he had watched over you after you apparently fainted. You were conflicted on sending him away or thanking him for everything he had done for you.

He watched you fester and took your hand. You tried to pull away, but he held it firmly. It wasn't strong, but the grip was enough to tell you that he wasn't going anywhere.

"look, don't worry about it. i didn't have anything to do anyway."

That still didn't help you feel any better. You didn't rely on anybody, and you preferred it that way. People took advantage of you when you relied on them, and that bridge had long since been burnt. Besides, you knew better than to believe that excuse. People would say that even if they did or didn't have anything else to do. And they usually did have things to do, but bothered themselves to help you anyway. Then they would yell at you for wasting their time or hold it over your head later. You sighed, the frustration seeping into your voice over your casual tone.

"I should be fine now, though. That healing tea really helped. Thank you for watching over me even though you probably did have something to do, and the tea was lovely. I'll walk you out and get some money for what I drank. I'm sure somebody's waiting for you at home."

You started to get up, but saw his other hand press down on your chest to make you lay back down. You were about to protest, but he spoke first.

"buddy, i don't think that's a good idea. you're still not recov–

A techno beat accompanied by electronic-toned trumpets came from his pocket. You recognized the ringtone; it sounded like a new song that had come out. Bonetrousle, right? You were pretty sure that was the name. He reached around to find the phone and pulled it out, answering in no time. A booming voice was shouting through the speaker the second he picked up. You could hear the person on the other line even from your spot on the bed. They were pretty loud.

'BROTHER! WHERE ARE YOU? YOU SHOULD'VE BEEN HOME HOURS AGO!'

You saw Sans hide his smile. Maybe he was happy that this person was worried about him?

"bro, i'm a little busy, but i'll be home soon."

He paused for just a second to punctuate his next phrase, "are you feeling  **bonely**?"

You heard incoherent shouting on the other end.

'SANS! NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR RIDICULOUS PUNS!'

The skeleton in front of you began to snicker, but desperately tried to act cool for the person on the other end. You started to laugh, too.

"you don't have to be so  **sternum** , bro."

You couldn't help yourself erupting into a fit of giggles at the loud yelling on the other line. Whoever was on the other side was shouting 'SANS!' thoroughly aggravated with the puns. Once they calmed down, they seemed to notice your voice and questioned the skeleton in front of you.

'SANS, WHO IS THERE WITH YOU? IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE CORRUPTING THEM WITH YOUR JOKES!'

The small skeleton laughed a little. It wasn't like the snickers before, but something a little more serious. You were able to tell the difference because you'd done it so many times before.

"i had a little fun at the pet store, that's all."

You heard a sigh on the other line. Almost like a mother scolding her child for being home late, but happy they were still coming home.

'ALRIGHT. BUT HURRY HOME, THE SPAGHETTI IS GOING TO GET COLD AND WILL NOT BE AS DELICIOUS AS WHEN I, THE GREAT P– HEY, COME BACK HERE WITH MY SPOON!'

Some banging around came from the other end and you heard barking, an almost inaudible 'CURSE YOU, DOG!' from the other person. Your counterpart laughed again.

'I SHALL TAKE CARE OF THIS AND SEE YOU SOON, BROTHER! GOODBYE!'

The call ended and your acquaintance stuffed his phone back in his shorts. He looked at you, his smile fading again.

"well, you caught me. my bro worries more than he should. uhh... i guess i should head out..."

He rose up from the chair he had positioned next to your bed. His hands immediately found refuge in his hoodie pockets. You were about to get up again to walk him out, but he took one hand out of his pocket signaling you to stop.

"relax, buddy. i can show myself out."

You were confused. You could sense that static feeling buzzing in the air again.

"i'll be seeing you around, april."

You could hardly blink before he was gone. He had disappeared into thin air. Poof. The static slowly faded from the room and you sat completely stupefied. What was that?

_Did he just... Teleport?!_

For once, you both agreed on something. You were shocked.

The skeleton named Sans had just teleported.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! Papyrus has made his first appearance! So you see what I was trying to do there? I was trying to do a little bit of brotherly fluff and Paps humor. Also peppered in some more jokes via Sans' humor. Plus, although Sans is a bit OOC in this fic (if he can be considering his personality isn't shown much in detail in the game?), it's just my interpretation of how he'd react to certain things. I always thought he was more of a protector, and although he doesn't know the reader that well, he has his reasons for sticking by her. I'll show more of his personality and reasoning later on. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	6. So Work Isn't In The Picture For A While...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans just disappeared?! You've never seen magic like that! But, on another note, he's surprisingly attentive. Even though your current predicament is partly his fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter explores some more fun times. It gets a little dorky and this is just usually how I spend my days off. I mean, just be prepared for the next one! Enjoy this lightheartedness while you can...
> 
> Also if any of you need it, this is for the text messages; [transl8it.com](http://transl8it.com/) or at least what I used to make them. Feel free to use it if they don't make sense. I don't use that type of lingo obviously, so I had to resort to using it.

You got up quickly, getting a dizzy spell. You took shaky steps over to where he had been. This had to be a magic trick or something. You waved your hands in the air he was standing in moments before. You couldn't feel any trace of him. You looked down at your floor for a trapdoor or something. Nothing. Then at the walls for a hidden door. Still nothing.

You walked back to your bed in a fog till your foot stepped on something. It sounded like crumpled paper. You lifted your foot to see that there was indeed a piece of paper under it. You leaned over to pick it up and unfolded it to read the message left. It was written in barely legible chicken scratch. At least you had had practice reading this type of writing from your dad. His writing was atrocious.

* _just in case, make sure to drink that tea and call this number. it'll stay good for awhile. it's a monster good so it doesn't spoil._

_XXX-XXX-7267_

_-sans_

You blinked. Your eyes darted over to the thermos sitting on your nightstand. Then back at the note in your hand. Whose number was this? Was it Sans'?

A knot of uncertainty coiled tight in your stomach. Had he left his number? Why would he do that!?

_Seriously, what are you getting upset for? He doesn't want to be your friend or anything; nobody does._

You shook your head. Why  **were**  you getting upset about this? He had witnessed you have a panic attack, and then came to your house to watch over you. There was nothing weird about him being genuinely worried for your health, even as a stranger.

_Maybe it's for one of those get-help hotlines. Why would he give an annoying bitch like you his number?_

You felt your heart fall in your chest. It probably was for one of those hotlines. There's no possible reason that a stranger would just be up and willing to hand his number to another stranger. Sadness washed over you as you fell back on your bed with a  **thud**. You heaved a heavy sigh and stared at the note, reading it over and over. You weren't really comfortable sharing your number with people. You had worked at the store for over half a year now, and you had spent five of those months not really chatting outside work with anybody. You had just recently started hanging with coworkers in your free time in the last two months.

Your eyes trained on the handwriting, studying the way it swirled together into a jumbled mess if you focused too much. It showed the hand of somebody decently smart from what you could tell. Sloppy but legible, written quickly in order to not miss anything important. It reminded you a lot of your dad's; a man of knowledge writes fast and abbreviates whenever possible in order to save room for everything needed to be written down. That's what he had told you when you asked why his writing was so horrible at least.

You wondered what kind of person Sans was, if their handwriting was so similar. Was he smart? He didn't come across as very knowledgeable, but it was possible. You thought about the levitation and teleportation. Maybe he was into physics? That would explain his magic... Kind of.

You thoughts drifted to right before the scene that had triggered your panic attack. He had levitated you. Why had he protected you from falling with his magic though? Wouldn't that be dangerous if you were like the humans who had persecuted them?

You weren't like that. You actually thought magic was interesting, if not fascinating. Monsters each had their own particular magic, individualized to each monster. Some had more powerful magic, others had more practical magic. You had read some articles and saw some documentaries about it, but nothing like Sans' magic had come up. Maybe he had hidden it? It was so mystifying, thinking how his magic worked. It had been able to hold you up without any physical connections to himself, the ceiling above you or the ground below you. The only thing you could compare it to would've been a magician, but they weren't able to do what he did without something to hold you up. Invisible string, or hidden platforms, or 'ancient secrets'. You know, whatever they used. But, his had seemed so precise. From catching you midair, to floating you down, then resting your feet safely on the ground. It all had been so... fluid. Not once did you bounce around in the air, like fumbling with the gears of a standard vehicle. It was clean.

Your eyelids started to droop as you thought about the possibilities of magic. You drifted off to sleep, not being plagued by nightmares for a change and with your mind on Sans.

* * *

 

You were sitting at home lazily watching YouTube. You grumbled to yourself, body itching to do something. You took a sip of the tea Sans had left for you, but realized that it was almost gone.

It had been a few days since you had been sent on medical leave for a week. You were beside yourself with boredom. When you had gotten up the next day after your attack, your boss was calling you to tell you that you had the week off to 'recover'. You cringed at that word. There was nothing physically wrong with you that would impede your ability to do your job. What had Sans told your boss? You groaned loudly at the empty room.

Your eyes wandered over to the crinkled paper that had been smoothed out as best you could get it. It sat on your nightstand, and you hadn't moved it. You had thought to text or call that number he left so many times, but couldn't bring yourself to do it. If it really was a help hotline, you couldn't just say you dialed the wrong number. You had heard horror stories of people who did that, and either got the police called on them or 911 rushing them to the hospital. You really didn't need that.

But you were dying for somebody to talk to. As much as you enjoyed being by yourself, this time alone was killing you. It wasn't like you couldn't text anybody else, but you didn't really want to talk to anybody else. That note had been on your mind for days, but that's how things went when something unusual came your way. You could text it once. Those hotlines didn't text or anything, right? You hoped they didn't as you grabbed the paper. You scanned it for the umpteenth time this week. Maybe one text. You could just say wrong number if it wasn't him. You didn't know why you were considering this, but you were. You grabbed your phone from beside you and opened the message app. Your heart was beating a little fast as you typed the number into the 'To:' box. Your fingers were shaking over the touchpad keyboard while you thought of what to say.

What would you tell him after everything that happened? You had a full-blown panic attack in front of him! You were never that vulnerable in front of somebody else. The memory shook you to your core. Fear of what would happen now coursed through your veins.

_Why are you even worrying about what to say? It's not like he'll answer you back, if this is even his number. Quit being such an idiot._

You gulped down what little saliva was in your mouth and typed out something simple but explanatory.

You:  **Hey, this is April from the pet store. Just thought I'd try this number.**

You waited for a few minutes, staring down at your phone. What if this was the wrong number? With every second that passed, you were beginning to believe that this was indeed the wrong number.

You nearly jumped out of your skin when your phone buzzed beside you. You hesitated when you saw the number appear on the screen, followed by an 'iMessage' icon. Your heart started beating even harder as you unlocked the phone and read the message to yourself.

XXX-XXX-7267:  **so u did git my msg. haven't cn u @ d pets store l8ly. u git 2 wild 4 it? ;)**

You let out a chuckle. Had he just made a pun about you working at a pet store? You covered your mouth as you read over the text a few more times. He seriously was full of puns, and maybe he was corrupting you like his brother said.

You glanced over the first part. He said he hadn't seen you... Was he going to the store to look for you? You couldn't help the uneasiness settle in your chest at that. You never really had anybody actively watch out for you, and you didn't really like when people did. The whole thing about people pretending they wanted to help only to stab you in the back with it later was always present in your mind. Why was he doing that?

You:  **Haha, that was a good one! No, I'm off for the next week.**

You immediately got a reply.

Sans:  **ur off? whr r u then?**

That was an odd question and you weren't comfortable answering. You weren't really somewhere you shouldn't be, but why did he want to know where you were?

You:  **I'm relaxing. Why?**

Sans:  **do u wnt som company?**

A ripple of discomfort rode through you. Was he asking to come over? You barely knew him! Not that he wasn't a decent monster or anything – you liked funny guys and he seemed genuinely nice – you just didn't like having people over. You would have to clean and then make sure everything was perfect... It was exhausting. You sighed, resigned to tell him no, but you heard your phone vibrate with another text.

Sans:  **doesn't hav 2 b ur place. i kno somwhr dwntwn. could meet up ther rownd 3?**

You stared wide-eyed at the text. Was he asking you out? This was really weird. You had barely talked to him twice. You knew nothing about him. This was not how you thought this was going to go!

But... You had to admit that you wanted to get out of your stuffy apartment. You had been trying to find reasons to leave the house and this was perfect. You glanced at the time on your phone on top of the text and read 1:51pm. That should be enough time to get ready and meet.

Just this once, you were going to be adventurous. Besides, you had your own car and could leave whenever. It wasn't like you had to stay there if it made you too uncomfortable.

You:  **Alright, text me the address and I'll meet you there.**

Sans:  **cool, c u soon.**

You got up from your bed and started to get ready. You wouldn't do much to not look like you were trying impress, but something more than the underwear and messy bun you were currently sporting. You grabbed some dark blue skinny jeans and rolled them up about 3 inches on your calve. You pulled a white, then a black tank top over your bra before putting your orange plaid button up over those. You put on your koi necklace since the colors on it went great with this outfit. You went to the bathroom and readjusted your hair into a little nicer bun, tucking the stray strands away behind your ears. You brushed your teeth and put a little foundation on to even out your complexion. You looked at your phone and saw the address. Taking a final step to grab your purse and put on your sparkly black slip-ons, you went out the door and typed it into your GPS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You see what I meant about the texts!? I figured, Sans is lazy and texting lingo is the easiest shortcut ever. Perfect for him, right? Sorry to those who use text lingo, I'm not trying to say anything mean about you. I used to use it all the time, but I guess I grew out of it. 
> 
> This chapter kind of makes me feel like Sans is a bit nosy, but it's for a reason! I promise! Just in case any of you see it too. 
> 
> So, I get on and I'm like, "Alright, post a chapter... Here we go..." and I see 30 Kudos! I can't tell you how happy that makes me! Thank you all soooo much for the support, it's really sweet of all of you. I wasn't expecting anybody to really like this, but I'm blown away with the people reading this. Anyway, weird praising aside...
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	7. You're Adventurous For Once

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So you go hang out with Sans at his favorite joint. You believe everything's worth a try once, right? If only you knew what you were in for...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it's any consolation, this story will probably keep going for a bit. I'm getting a bit of a writer's block which is making me skip around throughout the story, so I might start updating less often so that I can catch up and write the in-between of certain scenes I've written thus far. I'll see how it goes.

The drive wasn't too far and you found yourself 15 minutes early. You usually arrived a little early, only because you left early in case of traffic. You didn't want to seem over eager by coming before 3, since this was somebody you didn't really know and thus wouldn't know if it would make him uncomfortable. Your eyes wandered over to the sign out front. Glowing in neon lights, the words 'New Grill' were written in thick, bold letters. The colors and building structure looked kind of familiar to you, but you had never been here before. This was a new restaurant and bar that had just opened when the monsters had come to the surface.

In other words, it was a monster's business.

You were a little nervous to be meeting here. With all the transition the monsters had to the surface, wouldn't a human coming in be a little jarring? You weren't dangerous and certainly weren't upset with the idea of it being owned and run by monsters, just with the idea that they might not be comfortable with  **you**. You didn't want to ruin a perfectly good place for monsters to relax and hang out with one another. You were sure that some humans, on the more shitty side of humanity, probably would go in simply to start trouble. And of course, the law was usually on the side of humans. Maybe meeting here wasn't such a good idea... You really didn't want to cause any trouble.

_You're probably just going to be kicked out. He invited you here to punish you for having to take care of your shit the other day. Seriously, you can't even take care of yourself during a panic attack. What are you even good for?_

You fiddled with the sleeve of your button up, unsure of what to do with yourself. You took out your phone to text him that you were here waiting for him. After a few minutes with no response, you considered walking back to your car when a flash of blue caught your attention. Now standing in front of you was your new skeleton acquaintance, Sans. He had on that same blue hoodie, but underneath was a black t shirt with a skeletal torso. Still those black basketball shorts, but he had black and white vans on instead of slippers. His eyes looked you up and down, his smile curling up a little more.

"you look nice for somebody who's been lounging around all week."

Your cheeks warmed up a little at the half-assed compliment. That was sweet of him to say, considering what a mess you had been the last time he saw you.

"Thanks, I guess I just needed some fresh air..."

You followed his lead into the establishment. But your body tensed up the minute his hand touched the door. It was fine; you were with a monster and that should be enough, right? You prayed that the other monsters wouldn't be uncomfortable and force you out or something. You didn't want to give a bad reputation to this place. It was highly rated from what you saw online. Most reviews were five out of five stars. A few with one star saying the service was horrible; you figured those were humans who didn't like the fact it was a monster owned business. As he swung the door open, a cheerful welcome came blaring.

"SANS!"

It sounded like the entire place had boomed his name at the top of their lungs. You held a hand to your ear, wincing at the volume. Was he a regular? It seemed like it by the welcome committee.

"don't scare the kid; she's still  **warming up**  to the place."

The crowd burst into unbridled laughter. You couldn't help a giggle coming out yourself, even though you were frozen in place. This atmosphere was not what you were expecting, but you weren't really sure what you were expecting. The crowd quieted down and your acquaintance guided you to the bar. He took a seat on the worn out bar stool right in front of the bartending station. You settled yourself right next to him awkwardly and fiddled with your hands in your lap. You still weren't really used to bars, but you were getting better. Too many bad memories were associated with alcohol that any establishment with it made you cringe a little. He saw your weird behavior and coughed a bit to get your attention. He leaned his head on his hand with an elbow propped up on the counter and faced you.

"what'll you have, buddy?"

You looked at him a little lost as to what to say.

"What do they have?"

He chuckled. It was deep and rumbled through his non-existent throat.

"burg and fries. i usually recommend that to newcomers."

_So he's been here with others before. You're not special after all, are you? But you knew that already, hehehe! And here you were all stuck up about being the only human here._

"Oh... Sounds good. I'll have that with a side of ketchup."

You could've sworn you saw the white lights of his eyes sparkle right before he called out behind the bar.

"she'll have an order of burg with extra ketchup. you know what i want, grillbz."

Your heart sank and you second guessed your ears. Had he just said Grillbz? That sounded like what was in your dream. You controlled your breathing as much as you could so your company wouldn't notice the slight increase in its speed.

An embodiment of orange and red flames came out from the doors that lead to what you assumed was the kitchen. It had a small pair of black framed glasses on and typical bartending attire; black slacks, white button up, and a gray vest. It placed the food in front of you and crackled a little bit.

"he says to enjoy your food. he's a monster of few words, heh. but i promise, it's  **flame-broiled**  to perfection."

The fire monster crackled again, shaking his fiery index finger at Sans, then bowed before making his way to some more customers in the restaurant. The skeleton snickered a little as he watched you put some ketchup on the side of your plate. Once you were finished and the second you put the bottle down, he snatched it up and took a swig. Right from the lid.

You watched wide-eyed as he swallowed down the gelatinous liquid and tried not to visibly cringe. Had he just drank ketchup out of the bottle? You wanted to pretend you hadn't seen it, but there was no way you could. You stared at him as he took another squirt into his mouth and it disappeared as he opened it again. Where did it go? Skeletons don't have stomachs!... Right?

He resumed his previous position, taking the bottle into his opposite hand. If he had noticed you watching him, he didn't show it. You shot your eyes back down to your food and took a fry into your mouth after dipping it into some ketchup.

"so, what's got you nervous? you look a little  **shaken up**  there."

You let out a nervous laugh at the bartending joke. It didn't slip past you, but it was hard to let out a genuine laugh with monster eyes shifting to watch you every now and then. You felt them piercing into your back. Plus you had been extremely rude and forgot your manners as you watched him eat. It was like he was a wild animal or something, the way you had been staring at him.

"It's nothing, why do you ask?"

He shifted the bottle around in his hand, rotating it in lazy circles on the countertop.

"not much gets past me, april."

You froze in place. You didn't like where this was going.

"i'm gonna guess it's because you're in a monster business, right?"

You turned to him and immediately shouted in protest, slamming your hands on the counter.

"No! Of course not! I love monsters!"

You took your hands to your mouth. Why were you being so defensive? You seriously just shouted your thoughts like a pre-schooler. Your cheeks flushed in embarrassment and you turned your face away.

The skeleton beside you stared unmoving, his pinpricks bright before he burst into laughter. You were acting so childish; you just wanted to leave. The restaurant was watching you, not a single eye turned away until they heard his laughter and soon joined in. Your cheeks grew even warmer and you tried to burrow your face into your hands. Could this get any worse?

Tears came from his eyes, or what looked like tears. It was more like luminescent water, the exact color of his magic. They left lingering streaks for a few seconds on his cheekbones before disappearing. You would've been more fascinated if you weren't so sheepish right now. You coughed, trying to change the subject and he slowly stopped laughing. Along with the restaurant after a little while. He wiped some tears away with the palm of his hand. Sans leaned his arm on the counter for support as he caught his breath.

"seriously, buddy? don't give me more reasons to call you a kid."

You festered and ground your teeth a little.

"I just–!" You sighed and spoke a little softly, "I find monsters really fascinating... Is all..."

He rose an eyebrow? It looked like that anyway. His smile strained a little at his face.

"what do you mean by that?"

You immediately shook your hands.

"No! Not like that! Just–... Well..." You hesitated for a minute, "Take your magic for example."

His eyes dimmed just a little, but the sockets opened some. He was curious.

"Like, the way you can teleport to different places without a physical connection to take you to and from them. You leave this static discharge which I can only assume is some sort of sign of your magic? It lingered a bit when you left that last time... Hmm... How do I word this? It was odd, almost like a buzzing but not? It was warm, too! Not hot, but cozy warm. Plus you don't seem to use like wormholes or something like that. It just seemed instantaneous! Although I don't know much about physics..."

You got lost in thought and moved your elbows to the counter to free them for gesturing your words.

"And when you levitated me! It was like being tied down, but not? You just held me in the air, I guess. I'm guessing you were because that glow matched your eyes. Or sockets...? Anyway, I couldn't really move though, which was kind of jarring... Maybe a warning next time?" You chuckled softly to yourself, "But it felt like I was flying. I couldn't feel the ground or anything weighing me down other than, you know, this force willing me to not being able to move. It felt amazing though, don't get me wrong. I mean, I was totally about to hit my head and everything, but before I could even fully go through the motions, there you were! Holding me and then gently placing me on the ground!"

You make a slow movement like a feather floating down to the ground with your hands placed on the bar counter.

"And the movement of placing me down! That was so... fluid! It was so precise and smooth! Compared to a magic show that uses strings or wires, their movements are just super shaky and uncoordinated. It was like you had a plan and your magic did it! Nothing stringing you and me together other than the matching glowing. I spent about 10 minutes studying my apartment to see if you had done something to aid your teleportation. Of course I couldn't find anything, but you can't blame me for trying! It was just so stupefying, waaaay better than a magician! I just can't—"

You stopped when you saw his eyes staring at you longingly, like you had just spoke in another language. Were your words upsetting? Maybe that was insensitive or something... Dammit, you didn't want that! You would have to make up for this somehow. Could you laugh this all away or would he see through you? You took your hands back down to your lap and tried to joke this away.

"Sorry, I start talking sometimes and I can't stop. I didn't mean to say anything insensitive or offend you. I... Thought it was really cool..."

It was silent between you two. The bar patrons were laughing and talking around, buzzing with usual atmosphere. You didn't dare look at him. What if he was upset? You just went on about a topic you didn't fully understand and the implications! What if you had said something illegal or culturally improper? You really thought magic was amazing. It was so unique and every monster had their own. You wanted something like that for yourself, but of course you were human. There's no way you'd have magic...

You pulled at your jeans a bit, staring down into your now lukewarm burger. You were being really rude to the owner of this place. How could you let his food get cold? You took it in your hands and were about to take a bite when you heard a little sigh beside you. It sounded strained, but pleased. The air around you buzzed with that same feeling again. Warm, but electric. You lowered your burger at the sensation and closed your eyes to savor it. It was like floating on a cloud in the midst of a thunder storm. Not dangerous, but mystifying where you could watch the bolts of lightning pass by in weightless contentment. A small whisper of happiness echoed in your ears.

"to think you'd actually be a magic lover... guess the kiddo was right..."

You opened your eyes at that name. He wasn't referring to you... 'The kiddo'. He couldn't know them, could he? You were about to say something when you heard your phone buzzing in your purse. You pulled it out, and sure enough,  **your**  kiddo was texting you. You chuckled a bit at the irony, but put it away. This was rude to do in front of somebody who had invited you out. You locked it, though you wanted to talk to them, and put it back in your purse.

You turned to your skeletal friend to see his smile still there. It was really hard to see the little changes in his smile, but you had a lot of practice with this sort of thing. It looked a little smaller than usual, just slightly. His brows, or the bone that made them, were knitted. He was looking down at his hoodie and fiddling a bit with his hands in their pockets. He had something to say, you were sure of it.

"You look like you want to say something. Is there anything on your mind?"

He looked up at you, lights in his sockets dim. His smile was gone and they trained back at the counter. He made a noise, his hands tightening their grip on his hoodie.

"i've been wanting to ask this since the last time i saw you..."

His sockets went dark. A chill ran up your spine at the cold filling the air beside you. That electricity was stirring again, but the usual warmth was not with it.

"papyrus... how do you know that name?"

Your eyes went wide. Your breath caught in your throat. The nightmare replayed itself in your mind; that weak voice was calling the name over and over into the snowy forest. You felt that same sorrow overtake you while desperately trying to restrain it. You tried so hard, digging your nails into your palms. The pain helped take a little bit away. A knot was forming in your stomach as you sat there, festering. You had seen him when you mentioned it, but this place was making it worse. It was just like your nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it gets heavier again next chapter; this is just a precursor for what's to come. I hope you all are still enjoying this story, I've had fun writing it. Feel free to leave me comments about anything; suggestions, comments, anything you'd like. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	8. You Brought This On Yourself, And Your 'Friends' Come By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So things go from bad to worse. Bad times are incoming and things only go downhill from there. You aren't prepared for what's next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the late update. Trying to get these scenes written has been a little difficult for me... I've been experiencing what I like to call a 'low' and it makes it difficult to find the motivation to get this written and posted. This story can be therapeutic in some ways, and chaotic in other ways. So... There's that.

"I uhm..." you coughed a bit, "It... Was in a dream..."

You gripped your hands tighter, turning your palm red and making markings of your nails into the skin. The knuckles of your hands were becoming white with tension. You didn't dare look at Sans; he probably thought you were crazy already, but this was going to be the icing on top of the cake.

His voice was almost a whisper.

"...a dream?"

You sighed. Maybe you shouldn't talk about this. You hadn't told anybody because it had been so unbelievable. Who would honestly believe you were witnessing the memories of somebody you didn't even know? If that was even what was going on... You had felt their pain and anguish every time you woke up. Seriously, you were sounding crazier by the minute.

"Well... A nightmare, honestly. Somebody was calling their name in the snow. They were so upset when they found this red scarf..."

You felt tears forming in your eyes, but you blinked them away. Your voice was shaky as the details played themselves out in your mind.

"They collapsed in front of this pile of dust. It felt like they were close, almost like siblings? And there was this... child walking away, laughing. I couldn't understand, but it was so sickening. They got so mad watching them..."

You took your hands to your face to wipe away the tears now falling down. Why were you crying just remembering this? It wasn't even you or anybody you knew in the nightmare.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry... I must sound insane."

You didn't even bother to look at him as you got up, clutching the purse at your side. You should probably go; just make up some excuse to leave and expect never to hear from this friendly monster ever again. You ruined your only chances at a great friendship. You hated yourself more than ever.

"I uhm... I should probably get going. My friend buzzed me earlier and it sounded urgent. I have to go check on them... I'll-"

It caught in your throat. You couldn't say it.

"It was nice hanging out with you, Sans. Thank you for showing me this place, it's very cozy... See you."

You left the restaurant without turning back. You couldn't bear to look at anything in that general direction. How could you talk about it? Nobody would even believe you — you knew that — but you just blurted it out to this stranger. Why had you done that?! Now this monster would be even more skeptical of humans. He had to meet the weirdest one in town, and that would skew his perception of humanity. You ran to your car, eyes blurry from tears. Over and over, the same scene played in your head. Someone making shaky steps into the clearing, snow crunching under their feet, only to see that red scarf accompanied by a pile of dust.

'  **"pap... papyrus?"**  '

You let out struggled breathes and turned on your car. It roared to life with ease. You shifted into reverse, then to first gear. You hightailed it out of there. You reached for your phone and held the lock button to turn it back on. As soon as it came back, it vibrated in rapid succession. You didn't even bother to glance at who it might be.

_Way to go, bitch. Another bridge burned. I really wanted to see if he would've killed you, he sounded like he was going to. Why didn't you stay longer and end this pathetic life of yours? You just ruin everything anyway. Do the world a favor and end your useless existence._

Your fingernails dug into the grip of the steering wheel. You tried to blink away the tears as fast as possible. You reached up from time to time to wipe what you couldn't prevent from falling. When you finally made it to your place, you hurried inside and wailed into the emptiness. You collapsed to the ground to curl up in your knees. You sobbed heavily into your legs.

"Papyruuussss..."

_Look at you, sobbing like a child. You don't even know who this 'Papyrus' is and yet you're a fucking wreck. How are you not classified as a mental case by now_

Darkness surrounded you. Air couldn't make its way into your lungs through your shallow, uneven breathes. You felt like you were drowning in the abyss. You were being swallowed up. Little by little, you were fading away. An inky, black substance was everywhere. You tried to cry for help in between yelps, but knew nobody would hear you. It came closer, wrapping itself around your feet and crawling up your calves. Slowly up your abdomen and to your chest. Your vision was getting fuzzy, your mind was so hazy...

* * *

 

You were about to fall into your thoughts when you heard a knock at the door. The goop and darkness faded in an instant. The regular shadows surrounded you and you couldn't look up from your legs. Just pretend you didn't hear anything. It was probably a hallucination anyway.

 **Knock knock knock**.

You weren't hearing things. Something was on the other side of your door. More pounding. Somebody shouted something. You heard another voice... It sounded like arguing? Who was that?

You rose to your legs, shaking all the way up. No point in hiding this, there was no time. Your hand hesitated in front of the knob when you heard a feminine voice. It sounded anxious. A masculine voice came after. Shaky, but it seemed to calm the other one down. Another masculine voice came from a little further away. All three sounded joyful, laughing a bit. Who was on the other side?

You peeked through the peephole at the top of the door. Black hair spiked back with gel, mop-like brown hair with a bit of shiny grease, and short, strawberry blonde hair in a pixie cut. You stumbled back, falling down on your bruise. You winced and grabbed at it. It still hasn't gone away and was going to get worse now. The voices silenced and then more pounding.

It was Jason, Reese, and Charlie.

Fuck, why were they here? You rushed to grab your phone and check the date. It wasn't game night, and Amelia wasn't with them. Again, why were they here? You brushed the hair out of your face, then scrolled through the texts.

Charlie had texted you that they were worried about you, and you never responded. Figures; you had basically sat around doing nothing and ignoring the outside world for the past few days. You did that from time to time as a sort of therapeutic release. It wasn't healthy, but you needed it sometimes. They must've dragged the boys out to check on you. Jason and Reese, that is. Though Jason really didn't take any convincing, he always hung around Charlie. Seriously, a brick wall couldn't separate them. Their relationship was... Complicated. You figured since Reese and Amelia were a new couple, and they hadn't spent hardly a second apart, that they would be here together too. You guessed Amelia was working. That was usually the only reason they weren't inseparable, just like Charlie and Jason.

You shook your head. You couldn't just say you were out running errands, the white of your car glimmered with the sunlight through the blinds. It was right there and clearly nowhere else.

Besides, you usually had to force Charlie to leave once they came by. Not that you didn't like them or anything, they just couldn't make decisions to save their life. Something about your kiddo that was cute, but frustrating sometimes too. You thought back at that one game night that ran a little too long. You had to send them home because they were just standing in the hallway not making a decision as to whether they would go home or stay at your place. You were tired, and kind of bitchy to them when you kicked everybody out. You had not gotten very much sleep the night before and it had caught up with you. You just wanted them to make a decision, but as everybody's eyes stared at them... they just curled up and didn't do anything. It was a work in progress.

You sighed, calming your heart down and wiping your face. You'd just make an excuse that you were playing too many video games. Or writing.

_Whatever, they don't care anyway. Tell them you were having a panic attack after ruining a new monster's perception of humans by being the lunatic you are. Then you can have a one-way, express ticket to the insane asylum!_

Another deep breath and you grabbed the knob. You hadn't even bothered to lock it when you got home. Oh well. You opened it and Charlie immediately piped up.

"April, what's wrong? You don't look so good."

Was it that noticeable? You shook yourself from that line of thinking; of course it was. Jason spoke next.

"They've been worried about you all day. How come you didn't answer their texts?"

You frowned a little.

"I was asleep; you guys woke me up."

Your voice was broken like if you had just been woken up. At least that helped you sound a little believable. Charlie frowned, but didn't say anything. Reese commented next.

"You could've at least answered the door faster. You know how the kiddo gets."

Charlie got quiet and looked away. You didn't want to make them feel bad, but you really weren't in the mood for company. You stepped outside and took an arm around their shoulder. You squeezed them against you and they did it back. You smiled a little at the boys watching the spectacle.

"Thanks for worrying about me, kiddo. I'm just a little under the weather is all."

They smiled nervously at you, rubbing their arm with the opposite hand. You weren't trying to be a bitch, but you just wanted to sleep.

"So you're telling us to leave then?"

Jason chimed in and you nodded at that. You needed to be alone right now.

"I appreciate you guys coming by, but I'm really tired. You know, being sick and all."

You laughed your usual, dry laugh. They all looked at each other, exchanging anxious glances. This was not going well. You could tell they had come for more than just checking on you. They weren't really good at hiding it. You sighed, your usual calmness chipping away little by little. You crossed your arms unconsciously and leaned against the door frame.

"Alright, I can tell there's more to this. Why else are you guys here?"

They all stood there quiet, nobody speaking up. This was getting frustrating and you just wanted to forget today ever happened.

"Look, if you guys won't speak up, I'm just gonna go to bed ag–"

Reese interrupted you nervously.

"The skeleton, okay! It's about the skeleton!"

You felt the color drain from your face. This was definitely not going well. You tried to hide the cold sweat forming on your forehead. Pretend you don't know anything, that would be for the best.

"What are you talking about? Skeleton?"

Jason rose an eyebrow at that.

"Wasn't he the one you were talking to the other day?"

No, this isn't good. You just needed to keep pretending. They didn't have to know anything. You didn't have to tell them anything.

"I don't know what you mean; I've never seen a skeleton before. This town's too boring for them, you know that."

Charlie stomped their foot on the ground and rose their arms up.

"I know you're lying to me! He's been coming to the store practically non-stop to see you! What happened with him?!"

You were about to take a step back at their tone. Why was this turning into an interrogation of some kind? Your head felt cloudy and you were exhausted. You just wanted to send them away.

_Only one way to do that though, bitch. Be a complete asshole and make them hate you more than they already do. You know how easy it is to scorn people and get them to leave you._

You brought your arms up in a shrug and frowned as genuinely as you could.

"Kiddo, why would I lie to you? I don't honestly know what you're talking about. I've never met a skeleton before in my life."

They pursed their lips and turned away. They weren't believing you. You weren't really sure what to say, anything but the truth that you had just got done ruining anything you could've had with the skeleton in question.

"Look, kiddo. I'm serious here. I swear, okay?"

They turned back to you.

"You promise?"

Your throat was dry. You laughed a little.

"C'mon, you know I don't make promises..."

They stomped down to Jason's car not saying anything back. You frowned and tried to call after them, but they didn't even turn around. You sighed as you watched Jason go after them. You looked at Reese who had his arms folded, frowning at you. He looked like he was disappointed, but it was none of his business.

"I'm tired, so I'll leave them to you?"

He shook his head and sighed.

"Fine, but you're not being a good friend to them, April. It's not our job to fix this."

You ground your teeth and held your tongue. You wanted to snap his head off with some crude remark. You were getting more upset by the second.

"Just watch over them, okay?"

He glared daggers into you. You honestly wanted to punch him in the face right now.

"Whatever..."

He walked away as you closed the door. You sighed, your hands clenching and releasing. This was definitely one of the shittiest days you've had in a while. You made your way to your room and threw off your clothes. They slammed into the laundry bin with loud thuds. You curled up under your sheets and just stared at the ceiling. You were so tired, but couldn't sleep. Ugh... You hated this. Why was Reese being such an asshole? You didn't invite them over; they had just come on their own! It wasn't your job to entertain them! They didn't even know anything about you! This was normal for you and you liked it that way!

You gripped at your sheets and gave a heavy sigh to the emptiness of your room.

_They're just like everybody else. Nobody will ever understand you or even want to. I mean, who would want to try and understand a bitch, hmm? That's just absurd! Hahahahaha!_

You closed your eyes and took deep breaths. Just keep it in, no use in explaining yourself. You'll ruin everything all over again. Don't say a word, nobody has to know. Nobody has to understand you, you are better off on your own...

With those final thoughts, sleep overtook you once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know most of you were expecting a bad time, but well, without much to go by and being in a public place and all, I don't picture Sans whipping out the Megalovania and Gaster skulls. Don't worry; there are bad times in the future that will be lots of fun to read. It'll be awhile till those though... maybe...
> 
> Also, I introduced a character similar to Frisk. A little bit of personal backstory on that... A person I work with is agender and asexual so they prefer to use 'they', 'them', and 'you' when being identified. It's my first time with this sort of thing, so it's been a little difficult referring to a single person as a plural noun, but I'm getting there... They actually like being called kiddo because we bonded over our enjoyment of Undertale. I'm considered Sans because I'm lazy like him... Small world, right? Also probably the reason I like his character so much. Anyway, just for those who were curious. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	9. Sans Makes A Visit To A Certain Someone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans visits a good friend after the ordeal at New Grill. He has a lot of studying to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've done it. This is a chapter all about Sans in his perspective. I figured after writing so much that maybe writing a bit of Sans' POV might be fun... IT WAS! He's a little weird, but for good reason. Also, side note just for those who wanna know, 'cause I mean... you know... This has some backstory in it. Not canon to the actual game obviously, just my interpretation of what I felt was supposedly done throughout the game. It's canon to this particular universe and I will dive deeper into it later on, but just because I've left most of you in the dark while I've been finalizing the details, here's a little taste. Hope you like it.
> 
> P.S. THERE WILL BE MORE SANS' POV CHAPTERS IN THE FUTURE. Just... sayin'... *cough*

Meanwhile, Sans was standing in front of a lab building at the nearby university. He took a deep breath, getting his thoughts in order. 

Since he'd met you, you were such a mystery. He figured he might consult a friend on the matter, but wanted to wait and do some more observation on you. You seemed generally good, but when he had searched you, there was this odd energy to your soul.  

Suffice to say, after today he was sure his friend might have some answers considering how knowledgeable she was about humans and monsters — albeit a very skewed perception. Maybe she had some books about soul searching or knew where to find ones on this matter. It wasn't something he had experienced in good detail and the skeleton had hardly done it with any other humans. The last time that came to mind was back in the Underground when first meeting the human that had fallen... Long story short, with only one or two experiences to fall back on, he didn't feel confident assuming anything about you. He had some theories, but nothing would be concrete until he could learn a little more about the topic. 

_here goes nothin'._

With his nerves steady and thoughts as cleared as they could get, he pushed open the door to the lab to find a yellow dinosaur. She was in a stained lab coat mixing a few different colored liquids in various beakers together and recording the results on a worn out clipboard. Only the sounds of a pen scratching against paper and incoherent mumbling echoed from the walls.

He knocked softly on the door frame, calling out to the scientist at work.

"hey alph?"

More mumbling; something about vial 1 not reacting to vial 2. Sans stepped closer.

"you hear me?"

The lizard monster picked up a vial and started pouring it into another. His hands snapped in her vision.

"earth to alphys!"

She yelped and lost grip on the beaker, sending it crashing towards the concrete flooring. He quickly caught it with some magic and floated it back onto the table. A hand ran across his neck vertebrae, before he let out an anxious laugh.

_stars, that was close..._

The scientist — Alphys — caught her breath and shouted angrily.

"S-S-Sans! Why did you d-do that?!"

He smiled lazily and shrugged, trying to play off almost making a huge mess in the lab.

"sorry alph, at least it didn't  **beaker**."

Alphys groaned and rubbed her nose from under her small black glasses. Her claws scratched at the edge of her cheek as she set the clipboard down on the counter. Her full frame turned to face the visitor with an anxious smile.

"Goodness, S-Sans! You could at l-l-least warn me n-next time you plan on c-coming."

Sans grinned and leaned against the lab table. 

"yeah, sorry about that. i'll be sure to call next time."

The dinosaur began to put the liquids in the various vials away into their respective containers. Sans watched as she cleaned up. He knew from working with her in the past that she had a very particular way that she did things; offering to help or trying to mess with anything usually flustered her more than do any good. Once she was finished, she pulled her gloves off and wrung her hands nervously.

"S-so, what brings you t-to my lab, Sans?"

The skeleton jolted at the sudden speech directed at him and cleared his throat.

"oh, i thought i'd just pop in to see how it's going..."

She wrinkled her nose at that.

"S-Sans, I've known you for t-too long to know that you d-d-don't just drop in to see s-somebody."

His smile pulled a little at his cheekbones and he sighed, tucking his hands into his hoodie pockets.

_so much for hiding it. known her too long to get anything past her sometimes..._

Time to come clean... After all, you were the whole reason he was here.

"...heh, you're right. i uh... you know much about soul searching?"

She pursed her lips at the question before smiling at the invitation.

"Of c-course I do! I'm the n-number one person to go to on t-the matter!" She paused and her smile turned to a curious frown, "Why? D-Did you have a q-question about something?"

He dug his hands out of his hoodie pockets and smiled a little forcefully.

"well... say hypothetically, could uh... could a human do the same thing? soul search, i mean."

The yellow monster frowned more.

"Well, n-no." She rubbed at the crease of her nose — she was contemplating the question, "I-I suppose if they h-have a strong sense of m-m-magic in their body... I would n-need to check some records..."

She scurried off to search through her books and notes. Sans followed suit after, gripping the cloth of his hoodie hard enough to tear some of the fabric. If it was possible with a strong enough soul then... What exactly were you? And the more underlying question, what were you  **capable of**? His feet dragged behind as Alphys navigated through some documents and books. She gathered a few in her arms and turned back around.

"These are t-the most that I h-h-have. Hopefully they'll h-help you."

Sans' eyes widened, opening his mouth to interject.

"why are you handing them to me?"

Alphys just smiled and pushed them towards the awkward company. 

"S-Sans, I know you do b-b-better working alone after–" She stopped herself and coughed, "Just b-bring them back when y-you're done."

He returned the smile after grasping the materials in his arms and winked.

"thanks, alph. swear i'll bring 'em back in a week or so."

With a quick wave, he teleported away and landed in his room. He dropped them all on his desk, sorting through them. First separating papers from actual books, then putting papers with papers, and finally books with books. Sans sighed and pulled up his chair to read through them. Just some light reading, familiarize himself with the scientific concept again. He grabbed a general explanation text and scrolled to the first chapter.

' _Soul searching, as defined by common science, is known as the physical manifestation of magical energy in the form of a pulse created in one's body to be sent into another's to examine the characteristics of said other's magical energy and soul. This is most commonly done between beings with strong connections to magical energy; monsters being the prime example of said phenomenon. It can occur through something as simple as a look, but is most commonly practiced with a hand shake, a hug, a touch of the shoulder, or any other greeting.'_

_'Although the act of soul searching can be achieved through eye sight alone for beings with higher magical energy than the average — such as boss monsters; in the case of beings with lower levels of magical energy, only basic details and characteristics of the target soul can be determined. These can include possible age, sex, and type of monster and/or possible soul color. In order to ascertain more complex characteristics, such as actual soul color and type — which is a possible combination of established soul colors, levels of HP (Hit Points), EXP (Execution Points), AT (Attack), DF (Defense), and LV (Levels of Violence), direct bodily contact soul searching must occur between the searcher and the intended searched. As previously stated, normal exchanges such as hand shakes, hugs, and other physical greetings can provide a way to soul search. In order to search into the human's/monster's soul, direct physical contact with said soul must be performed. By doing this, the searcher can explore memories, fears, goals, and motivations of the searched. However, this is only attempted with emotionally close individuals under extremely intimate circumstances. No evidence of public displaying of soul searching via direct contact with another soul has been observed or recorded.'_

Sans sighed.

_i know this... are there any cases about humans though?_

He flipped through a few chapters, finding nothing. Pushing the book aside and fishing for a research paper, he skimmed the document. Still nothing. 

* * *

 

A few hours passed, various research papers were scattered across the floor and books lying on their spines. This was getting frustrating. There must be something about humans seeing souls! Anything, even if it was only a little. There was just no way that you could've– His eyes widened as he read through the discussion of one of the last research papers.

' _Many humans do not have the capacity to soul search other individuals under normal circumstances. This being caused by the lack of connection or magical energy present in common humans. Many centuries ago, humans did have the ability to soul search monsters and other humans. This special type of human, known commonly in mythology as wizards, magicians, witches, gods/goddesses, etc. were most commonly noted as performing the phenomenon. These were discovered via ancient texts found in old human laboratories and archives.'_

 _'No current cases have been found that can show that this still occurs today, but it is theorized that individuals that have descended from these magical humans may be able to soul search if they are initially soul searched by an outside being. With a lack of personal magical energy, said human can use the foreign magical energy as a way to gage the original searcher's soul, thereby making the searcher the searched. This has yet to be confirmed since most of these magical beings were either executed or killed in their respective times, and we will need more testing in a research setting before this theory can be supported properly._ '

He couldn't believe his eyes... What were they trying to get at? That humans  **could**  soul search too? He had guessed the possibility but... What would these descendants even look like, and how would he know when he searched one? You didn't show any signs of being out of the ordinary other than your readings being blurry to him. He couldn't see the color of your soul, just your levels of HP, AT, and DF. Your LV and EXP were non-existent, which he wasn't sure was a good thing or a bad thing. If you had searched him, he didn't feel anything. Nothing like the warmth usually felt by the searched via the pulse sent through them. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his sockets with the palms of his hands. 

He thought back to the conversation at the bar. You knew about the timelines, but did you know that you did? You didn't sound sure which could only mean that you didn't understand what you were seeing. Maybe it was a fluke? But... You recounted it so vividly that there was no way you could've just made it up. Every detail was in its proper place; down to being at Grillby's, to that dread leading him to it, to the human laughing, to him practically breaking down... He closed his eyes, that familiar magic flaring in his right one.

_calm down, it didn't happen. the human didn't do that. it was in the past. **in another timeline**..._

He leaned forward against the desk, pinching the bridge of his nasal bone. He tried to refocus. Besides, what reason would you have to lie to him? You had nothing to gain from it, you barely knew him. There was nothing connecting you except... His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was probably his brother asking about dinner. He had been up here for quite a while. His eyes glanced over to the alarm clock at the end table and saw 8:45pm flashing in red. 

He wanted to doubt you, but there was no reason to. He wanted it to be some big elaborate prank, but in his soul he knew it wasn't. You had seen it just like he did. Felt the same way he did when it happened. Sobbed over it just like he did after he woke up to another reset. Another timeline where his brother was alive and healthy. Wished it was a dream that would go away just like he did; only for it to haunt his consciousness for weeks, if not months. He still had nightmares about it, about that timeline. His mind drifted to that second time he saw you... When you almost fell and hurt yourself because of him. The way you broke down and sobbed that name. He felt tears rolling down his skull and wiped them away. This wasn't right. After it happened to him, just knowing that he was alive was enough. Maybe... Maybe the same would work with you. 

He made up his mind, and there was no going back. If you were what this theory believed you were, then he could knock out two birds with one stone. Only one way to find out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... Yeah. Soul searching was the best term I could come up with. A lot of time spent thinking of this ridiculous universe and like, I love/hate it? I don't know... Feel free to let me know what you guys think. I love hearing your feedback! Also, thank you guys who are sticking with this. I promise in future chapters, it gets happier and more fun. I didn't want it to dive deep into the whole Sans/Reader relationship without some buildup... Can anybody say mega, super slow burn? *sigh* I can.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	10. So You Meet The Epitome of Your Recent Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get the chance to meet a certain other skeleton. Shenanigans and panic attacks ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here. Is everybody ready? Things get intense! P.S. If you thought seeing red was bad, wait till you see the real thing!
> 
> Also, we're almost at 500 views and 50 kudos! I can't tell you how happy that makes me... I really appreciate those of you who are enjoying this. Things get better after this arc, I hope you all will be looking forward to it.

It's been three days since the incident with Sans and your kiddo. Nobody has texted you since then. You figured this was the end of it; you'd maybe talk during work with Charlie, Jason, and Reese. With Sans... You weren't sure. He'd probably never come to the store again, you were positive of that at least. After everything you told him, his reaction didn't bode well for a future friendship. You should've kept your mouth shut. Put up with your kiddo that day and just let them inside. You could've done something... Maybe. You clenched and unclenched your fists, watching them as they did. It wasn't helping as much as you wanted, but it was still something.

Your phone buzzed beside you, but you didn't bother to check it. Probably your dad bugging you about your tires. It was time to get them rotated or something, you thought. Maybe you'd do that later on today. You were leaning back on your pillow curled up watching YouTube videos. You had been writing lately, but you decided to take a little bit of a break. Maybe you'd go to the gym and punch the bags a bit later. Something to get this pent up anger out. You were mindlessly watching when it buzzed again. Just a reminder of the text.

Then again.

You yawned and surrounded yourself in more sheets. You wanted to just pretended you didn't hear it vibrating, but it did a couple more times. You knew now that it wasn't your dad. You groaned, reaching for it with another yawn. You were scared to see who it was. It could've been anybody, but you had a couple people in particular in mind.

Sure enough, Sans and Charlie had texted you.

Your hand gripped the phone tightly in a death grip. You didn't want to see, but at the same time you did. You unlocked it and hesitated over who's to read first. You had been kind of rude to Charlie the other day; hopefully they weren't mad at you. Then again, what you had said to Sans was so much worse. It had hung over your head like an intense fog. You had sounded like a mental case and you just wished you wouldn't have said anything.

You decided to check Charlie's first.

Charlie:  **hey, so you're not mad at me, right? i'm not upset or anything, i just didn't want you lying to me is all...**

You felt bad for the kid. After everything, they were worried about you. Sometimes they were too naive for their own good. You sighed and typed a reply.

You:  **It's alright, kiddo. I'm fine, I'm just recovering. I wasn't feeling well that day, and I shouldn't have been such an ass. Don't worry about me.**

_You always mean to be an ass. I don't know why you lie about it._

You rubbed a hand across your face and sighed. You wanted that to help them feel better. You hoped it did. You didn't get a reply immediately, so you assumed they were probably at work. You wouldn't spam their phone or anything. They'll get back to you when they get back to you.

You went back to the main screen and saw part of the text from Sans. It was written a little differently and you weren't sure you wanted to read it. You hovered your finger over it and closed your eyes tightly as you opened it. You sat there few a moments before peeking your eyes open. You widened them at the text.

Sans:  **GREETINGS, HUMAN! MY BROTHER HAS TOLD ME MUCH ABOUT YOU, BUT HE REFUSED TO GIVE ME YOUR NUMBER!**

You rose an eyebrow as you read it over. Brother? This must be who you heard over the phone the other day.

You:  **Who is this? Are you Sans' Brother?**

The reply was quick and almost immediate.

Sans:  **OF COURSE! IT IS I, THE GREAT PSBSVANXBGDKAVXHS**

You leaned your head back a little in confusion. What the hell was going on on the other side?

Sans:  **sorry. bro jst wants 2 meet u. do u tink u cn meet us somwhr?**

Before you could type a reply, you got another text.

Sans: **u don't hav 2 f u don't wnt 2. u kind of bolted lst tym so...**

_Way to go, bitch. He's trying to reach out after everything you did. How can you live with yourself while you torture him like this?_

You:  **No, I just had to check on a friend. I'm cool to meet somewhere if you guys want to. Let's do the same place as last time, sound good?**

You weren't even sure if you wanted to go back, but at least then they would feel comfortable and there wasn't any prejudice to worry about. They'd be safe there...

Sans: **alright, sur. c u ther @ 2?**

You:  **Yeah, see you then.**

Your heart was pounding in your chest. You weren't really sure if you wanted to see Sans again after everything that happened. What did he think of you? He seemed a little sincere when he said it's okay to decline but... Did he really  **want**  to see you? He may be doing this for his brother. He probably was. You sighed heavily and got up. Well, at least you could apologize in person and pretend everything that happened before never happened. Maybe you'd have a second chance at this friendship. You really hoped that would be the case.

_You're being sickeningly optimistic. Don't you know what happens when you do that? You get let down and fall even deeper into your **depression.**_

You ground your teeth at that.

 _Aww, did I strike a nerve? You know you have it; you just refuse to acknowledge it. Doesn't mean that it's not there._  

You quickly got ready and headed to the bar.

* * *

 

You were a little late this time, since you messed around trying to find something clean to wear. You arrived a couple minutes past the meeting time and texted quickly as you stood outside.

You:  **I'm here, sorry I'm late. There was a little traffic.**

Sans:  **we're @ a booth on d rght. beta hurry though, he's rattling n hs seat.**

You giggled at that until you placed a hand on the door. You hadn't noticed till now, but you were shaking. You had agreed to come here, but you were scared of what impression you made the last time. What if the bar patrons really did kick you out this time? Did Sans tell them what you said? What if he was upset with you for what you said? Maybe he wanted to trap you here so he could lock you up in the loony bin? Did he think you were crazy?! 

The color drained from your face as you hesitated with your hand on the door knob. You took a deep breath trying to calm your pounding heart. You tried to assure yourself that everything was fine. He had agreed to meet you. That was a step in the right direction. You'd just deny everything if he asked. Say you were tired and you weren't sure what you were talking about that day. You wouldn't **necessarily**  be lying, but that tea he gave you had been helping with your sleep. You had been getting a decent nights' rest for the past week and you weren't as exhausted as usual... You'd still fake it though.

You took one last breath as the adrenaline coursed through you and opened the door. You took cautious steps inside, observing the reactions of the patrons as you went. Nobody seemed suspicious or wary of you. In fact, most had to hold back smiles or laughs as you passed. You weren't sure what that was about until you remembered your outburst. How could you have done something so embarrassing? Your cheeks flushed as you tried to find Sans and his brother.

Luckily, you didn't have to look very far.

You noticed his brother was a lot taller than him. At least 6 and a half to 7 foot. His face was longer too; his teeth took up nearly half of it. His eye sockets were smaller by a considerable amount as well. Almost the size of Sans' white pinpricks, you thought. He had fire engine red boxing gloves over his hands. They looked a little different than yours, but you noticed the similarities. He also had matching boots. They went about halfway up his calves into some black tights. Why was he wearing tights? Skeletons shouldn't be wearing tights... Right? Your eyes traveled up to his chest. It was... bulky, to say the least. It was a little dingy with wear, but basically white. It looked like something akin to battle armor, but for children. You held back a giggle. The last thing you saw was a flash of red as you traveled up the armor.

A red scarf was draped across his neck.

Your legs froze midstep as you felt your heart stop. You couldn't breathe. Your stomach twisted into a dozen different knots and you clenched at it. You were starting to hyperventilate. Faster and faster your heart beated. Your vision was focused on the red scarf. Oh stars, there it was. The living embodiment of your nightmares sitting right across the way. You couldn't think. Adrenaline was coursing through you and you just tried to calm down. Don't think about it. It wasn't real. It was just a nightmare. This isn't the scarf. It's not the same. It can't be the same. It can't be! It can–

You were thrust roughly to the ground. You fell with a yelp onto the bruise steadily growing more painful with each fall you took. You were clumsy, but this was getting ridiculous. It was going to take a lot of healing to get rid of now. You rubbed at it. You sat disoriented until a drunken bunny grumbled at you.

"Wasch whur ya' goin'!"

You closed your eyes, afraid of what they might do.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to–"

You were picked up in a blink of an eye and held a bit above the ground. You opened your eyes to be face to face with the taller skeleton. Your eyes widened, your body freezing up. He was holding you up.

"NONSENSE, HUMAN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT? SANS, I TOLD YOU WE SHOULDN'T HAVE COME TO THIS PLACE! IT'S SO GREASY AND THE PATRONS HURT THIS POOR HUMAN!"

You winced a little at the volume of his voice. It wasn't quite screaming, but definitely not an inside voice level. You were shaking again. The scarf caught your eyes once more and you stared at it. You wanted to reach out and feel it. See if it had the same texture as the one from your nightmare. Too bad he held your arms firmly in both of his humongous hands.

Sans walked up and held back a chuckle at your predicament as he responded back to his brother.

"but bro, april said to meet here. we couldn't just  **stand her up**."

He winked at that last part, but you couldn't even laugh at the pun. Your eyes were still focused on the scarf.

"WHERE IS SHE THEN? DIDN'T SHE SAY SHE WAS HERE?"

More horrible attempts at trying to hold back a laugh.

"you're holding her."

You piped up, breaking eye contact with the red fabric.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine... You can put me down now, please."

The tall skeleton looked back at you and his face contorted into a horrified expression. He set you down so fast that you barely had time to steady yourself on the ground. His cheeks grew a little orange, which was weird. Was he blushing? Skeletons don't have nerves or skin, how can they blush? You shook your head to get out of that train of thought. It would be a never-ending cycle if you didn't.

"HUMAN, I AM SO TERRIBLY SORRY! SANS DIDN'T TELL ME WHAT YOU LOOKED LIKE SO I WASN'T SURE THAT WAS YOU! I HOPE YOU WILL EXCUSE MY RUDE BEHAVIOR!"

Sans let out light laughter as he watched your exchange. You tried to smile, but the red keep catching in your peripheral.

"No, you're fine. I appreciate the help..." You winced at the feeling of that bruise, "Let's just sit down and then we can talk some more, okay?"

His eyes, or whatever would be the equivalent on a skeleton, bulged out of his head at your reply.

"NYEHHHH! HOW COULD I HAVE NOT THOUGHT OF THAT MYSELF?!"

He struck a pose, pounding one hand against his chest and staring valiantly up at the sky. You let out the tiniest laugh, making Sans look at you and laugh a bit too.

"THAT SOUNDS LIKE A WONDERFUL IDEA! FOLLOW US, HUMAN!"

You were a little uncomfortable being called human because that wasn't your name, but you could say the same about calling him a monster. Though, you figured you would learn this skeleton's name shortly. He took longer strides than you and Sans, so he managed to be the first one at the table. You both followed soon after. You sat across from them both, Sans on the outside and the mysterious, taller skeleton on the inside by the window. Luckily, the owner, Grillby, had pulled the blinds down because the sun was starting to peek in through the windows. As you sat down and got comfortable, Sans' brother spoke up.

"I SUPPOSE I SHOULD INTRODUCE MYSELF..."

He took a stance again, earning a choked back laugh from Sans.

"I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, FORMER TRAINEE FOR THE ROYAL GUARD OF MONSTERS!"

Your eyes shot open. Did he just say... Papyrus?  Your blood ran cold and you dug your nails into the fabric of your jeans. This was it. No denying the fact that it was a reality. You couldn't just brush this off as some sick joke they were trying to play. This skeleton seemed much too genuine — albeit over-the-top — about himself.

This was the Papyrus from your nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final reveal of the lovely cinnamon roll! Gotta love him. Hope you all enjoy. It'll get better next chapter, I swear. Well, start off bad, but then get dorky. A little more of my personality shows through, for those of you who want to know. This reader is an OC version of myself, and I try to represent myself genuinely throughout. 
> 
> Hope you all will enjoy the eventual happiness that'll show after the next couple chapters (I think).
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	11. Time For Panic Attacks, Obnoxious Comments, and Sibling Banter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You control yourself from going full blown panic attack and power through it. Then a bit of your personality shines through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So don't hate me but this starts off bad and well... I won't spoil, you'll see. Also, side note for those of you looking behind the creative process, I can't tell you how hard it is to come up with puns like Sans'. I love them, honestly I do, but I'm more of an observational, not play-on-words kind of funny myself so he's a struggle to write. Still love when I write it and it flows, but some of these are pushing it... Don't hate me too much, at least I tried. 
> 
> Also, this chapter is a bit longer than most of the ones I've posted thus far. Just power through it, I tried to make it worth your time.

You felt your heart start hammering a million beats a minute in your chest. You tried to laugh this off, not make it noticeable. You couldn't have an attack here, not now. Just control yourself and your breathing. It was just a nightmare. He's standing right here. He can't have been dead! ...R-Right? You couldn't decipher reality from your hallucinations anymore. The corners of your eyes got hot. You had to practically strangle your legs in order not to jump over the table and hug him. Sob into his chest over the fact that he was alive in front of you. It felt like foreign joy washing over you. Somebody else's–

 

.

 

..

 

...

 

That was it. You put the pieces together in your head. The 'somebody' in your nightmare... It had to be Sans. That would explain everything. He had obviously known a Papyrus and asked you about it. He had kept this a secret from you because of your attack over it. At least you hoped that was the reason. His eyes going dark when you mentioned it, the rush of cold air when you two hung out last, the fact that he didn't go after you as you left, the quietness of his voice when you mentioned your nightmare...

You stole a glance at him, and he gave what seemed like a knowing look your way. Had he known all this time? You tried to rationalize everything in the back of your head. That would make sense... If what you saw had happened at some point, then of course he would be protective of his brother with humans. He would probably never want his brother around another human again. But with what you could understand about Papyrus' personality, that seemed unlikely – if not impossible – to do. But with the way that nightmare made you feel, all the hours spent sobbing, the multiple panic attacks you had at even the slightest hint of red, the endless hours spent awake trying to forget...

How could Sans live like this? Knowing that that nightmare could have happened and he had to basically relive it every day... Your heart thrummed painfully in your chest. How did Sans feel about this? What was it like hearing somebody else grieving over something they had never personally experienced before, but felt so strongly about? Was he angry? Distraught? Guilty? Hurt?

Your hands gripped tighter on your leg, the body part starting to go numb.

_Now isn't the time for your inner monologue, bitch. Don't ruin their good time with your suffering. Just cry your eyes out later._

You heard voices.

"AN... UMAN... APRIL!"

You shook your head and looked at the skeletons across from you. Sans and Papyrus exchanged worried glances between each other. You smiled a bit, trying to dispel their concern.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts..."

You reached your hand across the table, though you were trying to control its shaking.

"Uhm... It's a pleasure to meet you, Papyrus. My name is April."

The skeleton in return smiled brightly and took your hand to vigorously shake it up and down. You winced at the force, though you held it as firmly as you could. It lasted a little longer than you wanted. You weren't really comfortable with physical contact, but when you were finally released, you were relieved that it was solid. You were satisfied that the being in front of you wasn't a pile of dust and was alive, sitting right there on the seat. That he was breathing — as much as a skeleton could — and that he was happy. That was all you could hope for after seeing that nightmare so many times.

For some reason, you noticed Papyrus emitted a similar warmth that Sans had the few times you had touched his hand. Strange, you didn't get it from anything else. Maybe it had something to do with monsters? You didn't know or touch many monsters, so that made a little sense. You should ask about it later. A smile made its way to your lips. You opened your mouth to say something when your stomach growled loudly. You blushed and covered your abdomen. You looked away and heard Papyrus pipe nervously.

"HUMAN, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? THAT SOUNDED VERY LOUD AND UNCOMFORTABLE."

Sans laughed a bit at his brother. Maybe they weren't used to humans and hunger? Did monsters not get hungry?

"i think she's hungry, paps. we should probably order some food."

Papyrus stroked his chin in thought.

"HMM... YOU ARE PROBABLY RIGHT, BROTHER. CAN YOU GET THE WAITER OF THIS ESTABLISHMENT OVER SO YOU MAY ORDER SOME FOOD FOR OUR HUMAN FRIEND HERE?"

Your brain froze mid-thought. Did he just call you his friend? You had a weird relationship with that word. It wasn't really something you called people genuinely. You only used it because it sounded more polite than calling somebody an acquaintance and was more socially accepted, but you didn't have many 'friends'. You had to get to know and trust people for that. You liked your circle of friends to be small, and really only had two; Vicki and Elizabeth. Vicki had known you since second grade, thus knew more about you than most so she was a friend by default. You and Elizabeth just clicked in a weird way, getting each other's boundaries and pet peeves quickly. She hadn't known you as long as Vicki, but she understood you better. Anyway, that was a story for another time.

Sans called over Grillby and you placed your orders; you got the same as last time and Sans got an extra bottle of ketchup. Papyrus grumbled at that, but didn't say much in protest. When Grillby turned to him, however, Papyrus abruptly protested.

"MY MOST SINCERE APOLOGIES, BUT I DO NOT FIND THE FOOD HERE TO MY LIKING. FEAR NOT BECAUSE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE BROUGHT MY OWN FOOD AND WILL BE FINE!"

You looked at him incredulously. The food here was pretty good, what little of it you had eaten the last time you came. How come he didn't like it? Also, he had brought his own food? Why do that at a restaurant? You thought for a moment. Better question, where was he keeping it?!

You watched as the taller skeleton reached around into the back of his scarf and pulled out a plastic container. He set it on the table gingerly and took the silverware to the side of him. He opened up the container. You tried to casually look over at what was inside. You caught a glimpse of something red, yellow, and black. It looked slightly burnt and you leaned back into the cushion of the booth. What was that? You honestly couldn't tell.

"NYEH HEH! HUMAN!"

You jolted up to look at him.

"I SEE YOU ARE FASCINATED BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS' SPAGHETTI! WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY SOME?"

You blinked. That was... Spaghetti? You cringed a little bit. That did  **not**  look like spaghetti. It didn't look good at all and you really didn't want to try any. You shook your head politely.

"Oh no, I think I'll be alright with my food. Thank you though; I appreciate it, Papyrus."

He seemed to study you for a moment before he spoke triumphantly.

"SUIT YOURSELF, HUMAN. I STILL FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT YOU LIKE THE FOOD HERE. IT IS SO GREASY! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY SANS COMES HERE ALL THE TIME..."

He took a fork into the gelatinous heap of what you assumed was noodles, twirled it a bit to make a bite, and took it into his mouth. You secretly watched as he chewed a bit before swallowing. You didn't see anything go down his neck and he took another bite into his empty mouth. Where did it go? It can't just disappear! That defies the laws of nature... It had to go somewhere! You wanted to ask how they ate, but that seemed incredibly rude. You barely knew them and it would probably come across as off-putting. That happened a lot when you asked about things.

The food was delivered and that provided a much needed distraction. You were forgetting your manners again by staring at Papyrus eating. You smiled as Grillby placed your burger and fries in front of you. He put a bottle of ketchup beside it then another bottle in front of Sans. You couldn't help but watch that too and cringe again as the shorter skeleton squirted some into his mouth. Again, where did it go? There was no tongue or anything to catch it! Right?! You tried to forget your thoughts as you shook your bottle to reunite the ingredients of the condiment. You squirted a little in the corner of your plate before dipping a fry in. You smiled pleasantly as the taste filled your mouth. It was just as good as the last time. It was crispy, but soft on the inside. The perfect texture for french fries. They weren't overly salty, or greasy either. It was some of the best bar food, or restaurant food you'd ever had. Not that you went to bars or pubs much, but still! It was damn good.

Your eyes drifted to your burger. You had been really rude last time and never tried it. A pang of guilt made its way into your chest remembering your past visit. Then it clicked in your head. You grumbled a bit as you rummaged through your purse.

"God dangit!"

You pulled out a ten dollar bill and handed it to Sans. He looked at you with wide, questioning sockets; the lights of his eyes a bit dull. Papyrus looked just as confused when you placed it next to the shorter skeleton.

"I'm so sorry! The last time we came, I left without paying... Ugh, I'm such an idiot! Please, I'm not sure how much the bill was, but if it was more than this... Oh, who am I kidding? Of course it was more! I'm sure this place charges a fortune, the food deserves the price..."

You searched again for your wallet and put a twenty on the table. Your company still didn't say a word and just watched you as you mumbled profanities under your breath.

_How could you have just left without paying? What a dick move! Especially on your first time out with him! Could you be any more of a selfish asshole?_

"Hopefully that's enough. If not, I can get more. I can't believe I left without paying, that's so not like me! I–... Uhm..."

You realized they were blankly staring at you. Their eyes drifted from the money, to you, then back to the money. You shrunk in your seat a little, before piping up.

"I'm sorry... Is that not enough? I know it's a little random, but I wanted to get it before I forg–"

Sans held his hand up — signaling you to stop — and his smile tugged a little forcefully at his cheekbones.

"kid, you don't have to pay me back. i was gonna treat you anyway."

You frowned as you watched him slide the money back your way.

"besides, grillbz put it on my tab. this is way too much  **tibia**  honest, though i'll tell him you thought his food was worth it."

You quickly put your hand on his and held the money in place in the middle of the table. You couldn't help the pleading note that painted your voice.

"It doesn't matter. Please, just take it. I insist."

He flushed a faint shade of blue at the contact, his grip releasing just slightly. You took the opportunity to slide the bills back in front of him.

"I'll pay for last time and today. Take what's left and put it towards whatever you want. Really, I insist."

You took your hand away. A fiery heat shot through it. Why was it so hot? It made your cheeks a little warm. You breathed a little deeply to try and cool yourself off. Sans watched you as you put your attention back to your burger. You had made things a little awkward, but you didn't like owning people. That was a slippery slope you had gone down way too many times. You took the burger to your mouth, trying to forget your sudden fever and the money incident.

It was the juiciest thing you've ever tasted. Flame broiled to perfection, no pun intended. It was nice and charred on the outside, but juicy and meaty on the inside. The flavor practically exploded in your mouth. It was just so damn good! Seriously, you had never tasted anything like it. It was salty, but had a hint of rosemary. Maybe a little oregano.  _Stars_ , whatever he had done to this burger was amazing. You felt even worse about leaving the other one to get cold. You finished it quickly despite not wanting to show how hungry you really were. You hadn't eaten anything yet today and this was more than you could've asked for as a first meal for the day. You sighed contently and nibbled on your fries. You heard quiet laughter from the other side of the table. You looked up from your plate and saw Sans smiling at you. It was a soft smile — though his smile never disappeared — you could tell the gentleness behind it.

"if i'd have known you were this hungry, i would've  **fried**  to get the waiter sooner."

You giggled. Why did he make a pun about French fries? Seriously? Papyrus groaned next to him.

"SANS! I HONESTLY THOUGHT YOU WOULDN'T BRING YOUR HORRIBLE PUNS INTO THIS NICE MEAL!"

You frowned a little. Papyrus liked Sans puns deep down despite his adamant vocal dislike of them, right?

"aww c'mon, bro. that was  **humerus**."

You started laughing again. Sans glanced at you with a twinkle in his eye.

"NYEHHHH! BROTHER, DON'T YOU START!"

"what do you mean? i was just  **noodling**  around."

"DID YOU JUST... EVEN THE GREAT PAPYRUS' SPAGHETTI IS NOT SACRED!

"well, i have to  **mustard**  the right material."

"NYEHHHHHH! AND THE HUMAN IS CONSPIRING WITH YOU! DO NOT ENCOURAGE HIM WITH YOUR LAUGHTER!"

"just  **lettuce**  be, paps."

"NYEHHHHHHHHHHHH! SAAAANNNNSSSS!"

"are you ad **dressing**  me, bro?"

"NYYYYYEEEEHHHHHHH!"

Papyrus held his fists in the air and his eyes bulged again. He seemed really upset, but at the same time, maybe he really liked his brother's jokes? They were bad, but at least they were so bad they were funny. Besides, they seemed really close family wise, right?

"You don't like his jokes, Papyrus?"

The two stopped and looked at you. Papyrus was still grinding his teeth together and Sans was trying to hold back his laughter. The taller frowned and groaned with frustration.

"OF COURSE I DON'T! HE SAYS THEM ALL THE TIME AND THEY ARE NOT FUNNY."

You felt your lips turn down a bit more. He couldn't have meant that, right? Even if they were brothers, it made you irritated that Papyrus wasn't accepting of Sans' humor.

"But they are funny. I mean, I like them. They're not really that good, but that's just part of who he is, right?"

Sans' eyes went wide as you said that. The lights in his eyes dilated a bit. Maybe it was the lighting or something, but his face looked dumbstruck. Had he not had anybody stand up for him before? You felt a little courage surge in your gut as you thought a minute.

"I can't say they're the best, but they're that kind of bad that make them funny. I guess if you hear them all the time, they may get a little stale after a while... But still, he is your brother, right? Maybe laughing every now and then just for him might make it a little better, don't you think?"

Papyrus was staring at you incredulously, and Sans was speechless. Did you say something offensive? Stars, you could be so brass sometimes. Where was the censor button on your mouth?! You gripped at the seams of your jeans and looked down at your slowly cooling fries. Seriously, why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut sometimes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that ended... 'Okay'. After this next chapter, things get on the lighter side. Less angst of course, but some fluff afterwords. I hope you guys look forward to it. 
> 
> Also, we're over 500 views on this story! I'm amazed that that many people have either just kept coming to the story that many times, or that roughly a tenth of that have visited this piece over and over for various reasons. Thank you guys so much for enjoying this struggle that is somewhat my life. If I had the Undertale crew in it, that would make my life that much more bearable... Things get difficult sometimes and banter like in this chapter would be nice to watch from time to time...
> 
> Anyway, sadness and self-pity aside, thank you guys so much for the support. It means so much more to me and other creators out there than you know. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	12. At Least This One Isn't As Bad As The First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get an unexpected reaction and then end up becoming closer friends with the skeleton brothers. Then another 'dream' happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so remember when I said that more dreams were going to come in the future? Here you are! Enjoy another one!
> 
> Also, over 600 views! So excited :) Thank you guys again for all the support. Feel free to comment any suggestions or grammar errors and such. I can miss things sometimes... Also I'm a little sick so I might've missed some things just because I'm a little out of it with a fever. I hate being sick, anybody else?

An exasperated sigh came between you all and then that boisterous voice, only it was a little softer and more endearing this time.

"I SUPPOSE THE HUMAN IS RIGHT. SOMETIMES EVEN THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN BE A LITTLE HARD ON YOU, BROTHER."

Your eyes widened and you watched his mouth as he said those words. Did he just... He did. He actually listened to you and considered it. You could feel your stomach doing flips and you tried to calm yourself down. Nobody had actually listened to you before, not like this anyway. You had a surge of confidence run through you but held your mouth shut in case you said anything else and it didn't go as well.

"HUMAN, I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING MY ATTENTION TO THIS TOPIC. I NEVER NOTICED THAT I MIGHT BE HURTING MY BROTHER'S FEELINGS BY NOT AT LEAST TRYING TO LIKE HIS JOKES EVERY NOW AND THEN. SANS, YOU ARE NOT MAD AT ME, ARE YOU?"

Sans came back to consciousness and shook his head.

"n-nah, bro. i'd never be mad at you. i'm alright, don't worry."

The taller skeleton seemed to contemplate this before he spoke.

"STILL, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL TRY TO LAUGH AT LEAST EVERY NOW AND THEN AT YOUR PUNS, HOWEVER AWFUL THEY MAY BE. YOU ARE MY ONLY BROTHER AND I SHOULD BE NICER TO YOU."

His eyes wandered to the clock and practically bulged at the time.

"NYEEHH! I'M SORRY FOR LEAVING SO SOON, BUT I MUST MEET UNDYNE FOR TRAINING! I COMPLETELY LOST TRACK OF TIME! MAY I HAVE YOUR NUMBER FOR FUTURE COMMUNICATIONS?"

He hopped up and Sans scooted out of the way to let him through the booth. He went over to your side and you were still reeling about earlier. You quickly mouthed a few words that seemed to make sense.

"Oh! S-sure, Papyrus. Let me see your phone and I'll put my number in."

His large hand reached into his pocket and his phone came out seconds later before plopping it into your hands. You weren't even sure why you were so willing, but something about his demeanor made it difficult to say no to. You typed your number in then sent a text to yourself so you'd have his number too.

"EXCELLENT! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LUNCH, HUMAN APRIL. I SHALL BE TALKING TO YOU SOON! NYEHEHEHEEE!"

He shouted that as he ran out the door. You stared after him in disbelief, the reality of the situation settling in. You yelled at him, he listened to you, talked to his brother and seemed to come to an understanding, then got your phone number and left... Today was turning out to be a strange day.

It was silent between the two of you; the bar was a little quieter without Papyrus' voice. Sans had returned to his seat across from you and was nonchalantly playing with the ketchup bottle in front of him. You weren't really sure what to do now, but you felt a question nagging at your mind.

"so... what do you think of my brother? pretty cool, right?"

You looked over at him and nodded. That question was still sitting on the tip of your tongue.

"Yeah... He's really cool. I'm glad I could meet him."

Such a warm smile graced the little skeleton's face that you hardly recognized him. His brother must mean a lot to him. You would wait to ask your question another time.

"Well, I guess I'll head home too?"

Sans' usual smile came back and he sat up.

"oh! yeah. i should probably make sure he makes it to undyne's okay."

You both got up and awkwardly walked towards the door. He walked out first and held the door for you. You smiled nervously at the gesture; you didn't do the whole chivalry thing. You both stood on the sidewalk outside the pub not really knowing what to say to each other. It seemed like Sans had questions he wanted to ask too, but neither of you spoke. You decided it would be best to go ahead and just start walking when he mumbled out.

"hey... april?"

You had turned your body to go the opposite direction, but rotated back around to face him.

"Yeah, Sans?"

He cleared his throat — or whatever would be a skeleton's throat — and his eyes came to gaze into yours.

"will i, uh... be seeing you around?"

You didn't know what to say to that one. You weren't sure if you wanted to stay after everything that happened, but there was a sadness in your chest when you thought of telling him no. Maybe it would be alright, just this once. Maybe you could let somebody into your world one last time. You prayed silently to yourself that you wouldn't regret it.

_You'll end up regretting it; you always do. Just wait for it._

You ignored her. You wanted so badly to not regret this. You sighed, straightened yourself, and smiled.

"I think so, Sans. If uhm... That's okay with you?"

The biggest smile you've ever seen came on his face for just a few moments before he coughed and tucked it away. You heard a couple vibrations in his pocket.

"yeah, that'd be cool." A couple more vibrations, "i think paps would like that too. 

You smiled and waved him off, turning to walk back to your car. You sighed, that smile was still on your face. You couldn't wipe it off the entire ride home. You were happy for once. It had been a long time since you had been this joyful. You lounged around till 10 before getting ready for bed. You sat there, looking up at the ceiling. You were still grinning. You had patched things up with Sans, and for some reason, that was an achievement in itself. You went to bed with that happiness settling deep in your chest.

* * *

 

**_That same feeling came over you. You felt disembodied as the world formed around your eyes; that same snowy landscape coming into focus. It wasn't as disorienting as the last time; you were a little more used to it than before. You were a lot taller this time, about a foot taller than usual. You felt the cold brushing against your skin, that is until you noticed you had only bones. Another skeleton, good to know. Those bright, fire-engine red gloves came into view as your arms swished back and forth at your sides. Something tugged at your throat as well, more red in your peripheral. Their voice boomed in your ears, and you internally winced at its volume. Again, your physical body did not. You had no control over your movements; you were watching another segment of time from somebody else's eyes. Maybe another memory?_ **

**_You were in someone else's body again._ **

**_You were walking in the middle of the forest from before. You were smiling from ear-to-ear, completely ecstatic. You had just fought with the human and spared them, only for them to agree to be your friend and go on a date with you. Although your friendship with them was moving rather quickly, you would not back away from their affections for you. You would go on a date and see where things go. You wanted your first friendship to be the start of many! You were in your own atmosphere when a short skeleton appeared beside you; it was Sans. You were practically giddy._ **

**_"SANS! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I MADE MY VERY FIRST FRIEND AND IT'S THE HUMAN! "_ **

**_You heard your counterpart ask lazily._ **

**_"you sure did, pap. what are you gonna do now?"_ **

**_You pounded your chest and struck as much of a pose as you could while still walking. You heard stifled laughter beside you._ **

**_"I SHALL HELP THE HUMAN MAKE THEIR WAY SAFELY TO THE CAPITAL SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE THEIR JOURNEY! I'M SURE THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE THE BEST SKELETON FOR THE JOB OF WATCHING OVER THEM!"_ **

**_You paused for a moment, thinking it over._ **

**_"EVEN THOUGH I COULD'VE TAKEN THEM TO UNDYNE AND BEEN IN THE ROYAL GUARD RIGHT AWAY... I WILL HAVE TO FIND SOME OTHER METHOD TO PROVE MY VALOR TO UNDYNE!"_ **

**_The little skeleton smiled up at you. The lights of his eyes practically sparkled._ **

**_"you're so cool, pap. i'm sure you'll be in there in no time."_ **

**_You boomed heroically; hand still on your chest._ **

**_"OF COURSE I WILL! FOR I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"_ **

**_You both made your way home. It was in a small town covered in snow. As you came to the border, a sign saying 'Snowdin' in big letters crossed your peripheral. Town was bustling as it usually was. Kids were running around, dogs barking excitedly at each other, and the town Christmas tree was glistening against the freshly fallen snow. You smiled at the sight, and found happiness in the simplicity that your town had to offer._ **

**_Today was a special day, you had made your very first friend and you couldn't be happier! You even had a date with them later! Even though you had first intended to capture them and take them to the capital in order to become part of the royal guard, you would find some other way. You had to believe there was another way, just like you believed in your new friend and wanted the best for them. You were so excited; you could hardly contain yourself as your bones rattled._ **

**_"I THINK I AM GOING TO MAKE MY SPECIAL SPAGHETTI TONIGHT, TO CELEBRATE THIS TURN OF EVENTS!"_ **

**_You skipped the rest of the way home, the shorter of the two of you following close behind. You heard him plop on the couch and yawn while you made your way to the kitchen._ **

**_Okay, just like you had been trained. You smashed up the tomatoes — not as aggressively as your teacher does, but that would come easier with more lessons. You turned the heat as high as it could go on the stove, your hands searching for noodles. The water was soon boiling over the pot causing a hissing noise as the water evaporated in the flames. You hummed a delighted tune to drown out the sound; some of your teacher's piano playing stuck in your skull. You threw the noodles you found into the water and it boiled over a bit. No big deal, this was how you did things all the time._ **

**_Now you were going to add your special ingredient into the mix to make this your best dish yet! You scoured the cupboards in search of your mysterious ingredient, finding it nowhere. Where did it go?! You opened the cupboard under the large sink and sure enough, the dog was holding it in its jaws with a smile on his muzzle._ **

**_"DOG, RELEASE THAT! I NEED IT FOR MY SPAGHETTI!"_ **

**_The dog tilted its head at your demand. You stomped your foot angrily on the linoleum._ **

**_"I SAID TO RELEASE THAT OR THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO PUNISH YOU!"_ **

**_You reached out to grab the ingredient from its mouth, but it swiftly jumped over your head and ran around the kitchen. You chased after it, arms outstretched and regularly trying to grab at it. You felt your magic boiling in your bones and shouted out._ **

**_"SANS! COME HELP ME GET THE DOG!"_ **

**_The little skeleton hobbled into the kitchen, arms outstretched in a yawn as the dog ran past him._ **

**_"what are you doing, paps? why do you need the dog?"_ **

**_You scurried past him to catch up with the beast. It was practically taunting you with your ingredient getting wet by its slobber._ **

**_"STOP THE DOG, SANS! IT HAS MY SPECIAL INGREDIENT!"_ **

**_You heard Sans chuckle before he captured the dog in his magic and held him in the air. His eye glowed cyan along with his hand, and he guided him over to you. You crossed your arms at the pooch, yanking the container out of its mouth._ **

**_"were you.."_ **

**_"SANS, DON'T."_ **

**_"looking for..."_ **

**_SANS, SO HELP ME IF YOU SAY A PUN..."_ **

**_"a bad thyme?"_ **

**_"SAAAANNNSSS!"_ **

**_You groaned loudly, stomping your feet again on the ground. You stormed over to the pot with your ingredient and dumped its contents in. It was a container of MTT Brand sparkles that you had purchased at the local store. The little skeleton followed after you and took a spot leaning against the doorway of the kitchen. His hands were tucked in that old hoodie, the one covered in stains and smelling of old ketchup. You mixed it aggressively after adding your mush of tomatoes. Faster and faster until smoke starting bellowing from the stove._ **

**_After about 10 minutes, the dish was done. You took two plates to the living room; one for yourself and another for your roommate. You noticed he had moved back to the sofa in the time it took to prepare your spaghetti. You sat yourself next to him and turned on the tv to see a marathon going on with a very flashy robot. You took a forkful of the sparkling pasta and held it out to Sans._ **

**_"TO MY FIRST FRIEND, THE HUMAN!"_ **

**_He smiled up at you, and took a forkful himself._ **

**_"here's to you, paps."_ **

**_You both clinked forks together and took your respective bites. It didn't taste as good as it could, but in due time! You just weren't a very patient person._ **

**_You finished the rest of your food while watching the robot dance around the screen and fire random missiles at audience members. You would holler praises every now and then, even though you had seen this particular episode so many times before. The robot was your idol and you greatly admired him. You glanced over and saw Sans' plate empty in his lap, his body lying limp against the couch asleep._ **

**_You sighed contently, though you worried for him. He seemed so aloof and distant, not to mention he slept almost constantly. You didn't remember how long he'd been doing this for, but it was a habit you were used to. You could tell something was wrong, but you didn't bother to ask. He would probably attempt to throw you off with some silly pun. Maybe with this human, you could finally go to the surface and he'd be happy. That's all you ever really wanted for him. More than anything, Sans meant the world to you. You got up and did the dishes, cleaning the kitchen before going back to collect the pile of lazy bones._ **

**_With one quick motion, you hoisted him up into your arms with his head against your chest and his arms laying over your shoulders. You held him with one arm below his tailbone and one around his chest as you climbed the stairs. You groaned at the nastiness of his sheets, holding him with just one arm underneath as you changed them. You tucked him in and turned off the light of the room, taking his used bedding with you. You would wash it later. You mumbled goodnight as you shut the door quietly behind you._ **

**_You went to your own room and turned out the light as you crawled into your race car bed. You closed your eyes and imagined yourself driving a shiny, red corvette on the surface. The wind blowing against your bones as you drive down what was known as a human highway. Soon, you thought. With the help of your new friend, you were confident that you would see the surface. All you had to do was be patient and wait. You fell asleep with the breaking of the barrier being your last thought._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hoped you guys liked Papyrus' dream! I figured he wouldn't be so depressing like Sans', but might have a little sadness splashed in. Anyway, I'm going to go to bed now... Orange juice, tea, and Gatorade are my friends right now.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	13. You're Getting More Delusional And Prep For Some Fun With The Skele-Bros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You process your second 'dream' and wonder about the first one. Then Papyrus has decided to make you friendship spaghetti. What could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post! I've had a little bit of writer's block and I had to completely re-write this whole chapter... Still not too happy with how it turned out, so I might mess with it some more and re-post again later.
> 
> Let me know what you guys think!

You woke up feeling melancholy. You weren't distressed, but not happy either. You sat up and rubbed your eyes, yawning at the empty house. You looked over at your phone and saw the time as 5:58am. A bit early before your shift today at 12pm. You stared up at the ceiling, before your phone vibrated beside you. Just another email from some store with incentives. 

Who were you this time? Taller for sure, and somebody who knew Sans well. That red looked familiar, but you didn't want to make assumptions. The only person you could think of was Papyrus... But, then whatever you saw from Sans' point of view wouldn't make any sense. 

The whole thing didn't make sense honestly. That nightmare of Papyrus dying felt so real and yet... You had met him and he was solid as could be. Breathing and talking and living. Just... Being alive in front of your eyes. How else could you explain it? You had taken your phone and written down the first nightmare to keep the details in logical order. You could recite every detail basically in your sleep, no pun intended. So you wrote this one down as well. It wasn't quite as devastating as the first one, but how did the first one come about? Those two events couldn't have happened at the same time, right? If the human that saved the monsters from underground was the same human in both dreams then how would Papyrus remember them completely differently? 

Maybe it was a different human...? But that wouldn't make sense either. You finished writing it down and the time resonated as 7:37am. You probably should go back to sleep and think about it another time. You knew you should've asked Sans about it before, but maybe you will when the time comes. There would be plenty of chances, right?

_You're second guessing yourself already... Do you not even care that you're possibly getting other people's memories?_

You closed your eyes and sighed at the empty room.

_You're probably getting even crazier, you know. There's no way that that can be part of a normal person's brain. You were already a train wreck, and now there's even more things wrong with you. Maybe you'll be studied by the government for being such a freak!_

You rolled over and tried to push those thoughts to the back of your head. These were just isolated incidents, nothing more. You didn't need to overthink it, only write it down in case you needed it later. This last dream wasn't so bad.. 

You prayed you wouldn't get anymore as you drifted back off to sleep.

* * *

 

You woke up the next morning with a text from Sans buzzing on your nightstand. You grudgingly reached over and unlocked your phone, peering down and reading the text.

Sans:  **knock knock**

You sat there, eyes still adjusting to the light of your phone. You pulled out the charger cord and rolled over on your back. Why was he sending you the beginning of a knock knock joke at... 8:39am? You sighed. Mine as well humor him.

You:  **Who's there?**

You only had to wait a moment before he texted back.

Sans:  **flower**

You furrowed your brows. 

You:  **Flower who?**

You couldn't help the giggle at his reply.

Sans:  **flower you today?**

Seriously? He was a comedy nerd on all accounts considering he had texted you so early in the morning with a joke of all things. You laughed a little as you typed out a response.

You:  **I'm fine, just woke up lol. You even do comedy this early in the morning? You sure are dedicated.**

Sans:  **com on, it was punny. bsides, early bird gets da worm & all dat jaz**

You:  **Riiiight. So what about you? What are you doing up?**

Sans:  **pap is an early bird & sumtims it's contagious**

You could definitely see that. Papyrus from what you could tell from when you met him and your dream was quite the go-getter. He also seemed like a morning person, which you so weren't. The only reason you were up right now was that awful buzzing your phone had made against the wood of your nightstand and your awful insomnia. Luckily, no nightmares accompanied those. You yawned and sat up, typing out a reply as you tugged the blankets back over yourself.

You:  **You don't peg me as a morning person though.**

Sans:  **i'm not. lik i said, 'sumtims it's contagious'.**

You laughed. Papyrus must've forced Sans to get up. It reminded you of that summer when you were living with your own brother.

You:  **Pffft, that sucks, dude. Can't be happier that I live alone.**

Sans:  **ehh, its not so bad. pap means well at least**

You rolled over on your side in bed.

You:  **So since you're now up and you've successfully woken me up, do you guys have something planned for today?**

Sans:  **yeah, pap wnted 2 mak sum spaghetti 4 u since ur his new friend & all**

You smiled to yourself. That was so sweet. Papyrus was a nice guy if he was getting up this early to make you something. Your mind thought back to the spaghetti at New Grill. Well... It may not be appetizing, but it's the thought that counts. After all, Papyrus means well, right? Sans even said so.

You:  **Does that mean I should be expecting two skeletons to show up at my door later this afternoon?**

Sans:  **good guess, april. pap wnts 2 no when u wnt us over?**

You thought to yourself. Your house was a mess, but you might be able to spruce it up if they come by later on in the evening. It usually took you a few hours to clean and get everything looking nice. You sighed, so much for sleeping in today. 

You:  **Maybe come by around 3 or 4?**

Sans: **i spos i cn keep him occupied til den. aight, cya @ 3:30**

You:  **See you guys then.**

You got up from your bed and stretched. You pulled at the hem of your underwear and made your way to the bathroom to brush your teeth and wash your face. 

_You're really going to let them over here? Who would even let two skeleton monsters into their house after they just met, what? Two days ago?_

You silently reminded her that you had known Sans for almost 2 weeks now and he had been in your house already as you turned on the water.

_That's because you couldn't keep your shit together, since you forgot that 'little' detail._

You groaned as you flossed your teeth.

_Don't get mad at me. I'm not the crazy person here; **you**  are. Did you forget about those 'dreams' the two of them gave you? How are you going to face them again knowing that you might have pieces of their memories inside you, hmm?_

You stopped for a moment, mulling over what she said. You shook your head to rid yourself of those thoughts as you splashed water on your face. 

_You can't just ignore me. I've been quiet long enough. What's gonna happen when you let those two over, huh? What if they kill you this time? I mean, you are meeting at your apartment which you live in **alone** , I might add. Perfect place to kill you if I say so myself._

You gripped the edges of your sink, taking a deep breath after you rubbed the face wash on. You splashed more water to rub it off and buried your skin into the softness of your towel. 

_You're acting awfully naive right now. I know that the thought crossed your mind, considering I'm a part of it. You can't lie to me._

You sighed as you got your toothbrush ready and started brushing your teeth. 

_Just wait for it. I have a feeling that little one is gonna kill you one day._

**His name is Sans** , you thought to yourself,  **he does have a name**.

_Oh whatever! I don't give a shit what his name is! Just you wait and see when I turn out to be right! You know I always am; afterall, I am a part of you and you're always right._

You spit out the foam from your toothpaste and rinsed out your mouth. Enough of her antics, it was time to get started cleaning. You tuned her out and grabbed your cleaning wipes, turning on some music through your Bluetooth speaker and got to work. 

First you wiped down the counters, getting any and all bits onto the floor. Then you took your duster and dusted all the fans, light bulb and holders included. After that, you dusted the shelves and your game systems since they always gathered dust more than anything else in the house. You grabbed the vacuum next and vacuumed the floors, before you grabbed the mop. You mopped over the floors twice — they had a lot of marks for some reason — before you grabbed the vacuum and ran over the whole thing again. Just to get anything the mop might've lured out and not picked up. After all this, you made sure to clean the sink with some bleaching agent and then went to change the sheets of your bed and put your clothes away. Your room look like a tornado hit it, but you dusted and wiped everything down and it looked sparkling clean after you were done. Finally you went to the bathroom. You always did it last so that you could shower afterwards. You took everything out, throwing your towels, mats and exfoliating gloves into the washer before you got scrubbing. You hand scrubbed your bathroom since the tiles made your mop and vacuum not very efficient at cleaning it. 

You started with your sink, scrubbing the knobs and faucet then the sink itself before then moving onto the toilet. You scrubbed each layer — the back of the toilet and the flush knob, the space between the back of the toilet and the lid, the top and bottom of the lid, the top and bottom of the seat and then the inside and outside of the bowl. Next, you moved onto the shower. You started off by wetting down the surfaces and scrubbing the shit out of them with your cleaning scrub. You then rinsed and moved onto the floor, — before you started, you threw your towels and rugs into the dryer — scrubbing at every crevice between tiles and then grabbing a towel and wiping it all dry. Last thing, you grabbed some air freshener in your favorite scent clean linen and sprayed down every room. You took a deep breath, satisfied with the smell that entered your nostrils.

You wiped your forehead of its sweat and checked the time; 2:15pm. Perfect, that left you plenty of time to shower and make yourself presentable. You grabbed a quick change of clothes; just a t-shirt, some jeans, and some socks and jumped into the shower after you put your bathroom back together. The water felt good against your skin as you washed away the sweat. When you cleaned, you definitely worked yourself down to the bone. But with company coming over and all, and considering the last time Sans had come over, it wasn't exactly presentable without some cleaning. Think of a typical bachelor pad type of clean and that's what he had walked in to. A shiver ran up your spine as you hoped he didn't think any less of you for it. You really didn't like when people saw your house looking not so clean. You came out of the shower and dried off, the fresh smell hitting your nose. You loved when your house was tidy; it was so nice to have a clean house. 

You pulled on your clothes and checked the time again as you brushed through your hair, 2:47pm. They should be here soon. You thought about the spaghetti and figured maybe you should cook something, just in case his food wasn't exactly edible. You'd still have a bite out of curtsy, but not a whole meal. You got to work cooking some breakfast burritos. It wasn't a hard recipe, and was something you could quickly whip up. Brown the sausage, add some diced onion and diced jalapeños — then once those sautéed — add a mixture of eggs, milk, shredded cheese and diced tomatoes. You threw some tortillas in the microwave and mixed around the cooked meal right as the doorbell rang. You checked the time on the stove; 3:30pm. At least they were punctual. You smiled to yourself as you turned off the burner, covered the mixture, and set the microwave to cook the tortillas.

"Be right there!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... I hope you guys liked it. Writer's block is a bitch, fml.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	14. You and Papyrus Share Your Individual Culinary Creations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and the skele-bros enjoy some food, both good and bad. Then Papyrus sees another hobby of yours and decides to do something about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hey guys, it's been an odd week. I'm really unsure of how this particular scene is going... I like it, but then read it and hate it. I've taken it and tried to re-write it, but I'm still not crazy about it? Let me know what you guys think. Hopefully it's not too wordy, but I couldn't come up with much more other than dialog between everybody.... Ugh.

You went to the door and opened it to see Papyrus holding a hefty pot with what you assumed was spaghetti inside. He had on that same outfit you saw him in at New Grill; red gloves, matching boots, those black tights and that white-ish battle body with his red scarf draped around his neck. It still sent a chill up your spine seeing the scarf, but you managed to hide it well. You looked around for Sans, but you didn't see him. 

"HELLO HUMAN APRIL! THANK YOU FOR LETTING MY BROTHER AND I COME VISIT YOU ON SUCH SHORT NOTICE!"

You winced a little at his volume, but smiled anyway. 

"No problem, Papyrus." You motioned around him, "Where is your brother, by the way?"

You heard a chuckle from deeper in the house. You immediately knew where he was.

"in here, april. this smells pretty good."

You laughed and opened the door to welcome Papyrus inside. 

"C'mon in, Papyrus. Make yourself at home."

He grinned broadly at you before chiding his brother. 

"SANS! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO WAIT FOR YOUR HOST TO LET YOU INSIDE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN TELEPORT!"

"sorry bro, i just couldn't help myself."

You chuckled as you watched Papyrus put the pot down and walked to the kitchen. Sans was busy looking at your breakfast burrito mixture and was about to take a piece into his mouth when he saw you with your arms crossed leaning against the wall. 

"Not even going to ask before you help yourself, huh?"

A little bead of sweat dripped down his forehead before he shrugged.

"i figured since you made it right now, it must've been for us anyway."

You laughed, uncrossed your arms and snuck in front of him to grab a chuck of the egg and popped it into your mouth.

"I did, but careful; it's hot. You know, both temperature and ingredient wise."

He smiled at you and took a bite as you took the tortillas out of the microwave and wrapped them in a towel. Papyrus was quick to notice and came into the kitchen as well. 

"HUMAN, WHAT IS THIS?"

He gestured to the skillet and you felt some sweat pooling on your brow. You couldn't exactly tell him that you made this in case his food wasn't edible, right? You had to come up with something. 

"I uhm... Figured I'd make something too. I felt bad since you made something for me and I didn't make anything for you..."

His eyes bulged and he took his hands to his cheeks. It looked like he was sparkling. Maybe it was a monster thing? Before you could think more about it, he wrapped you up in a hug and picked you up off the ground.

"Agh!..."

"THANK YOU SO MUCH, HUMAN APRIL! WE WILL SURELY BE THE BEST OF FRIENDS SINCE WE BOTH ENJOY THE ART OF CULINARY CUISINE!"

You smiled as best you could while being crushed and patted his back. 

"T-Thanks, Papyrus... I hope you... Like it..."

He set you down and you took a deep breath. You weren't sure if you were ever going to get used to Papyrus' hugs. You sighed and reached into the cupboard to grab some plates then in your silverware drawer to grab some forks.

"Here, let me set up the table really quick and we can dig in, yeah?"

You looked back at Sans, who was currently taking another few bites from your skillet. You rolled your eyes and slapped his hand away. He jumped back, looking at you like a wounded animal.

"As happy as I am that you like my cooking... If you keep going the way you are now, there's not gonna be any for Papyrus and I."

The little skeleton stiffened for a moment before he burst out laughing, and you left to grab some hot pads for Papyrus' pot and your skillet. You set up the table with you on the end, Papyrus on the opposite side and Sans in the middle. You figured Papyrus would enjoy being the head of the table. You grabbed your skillet and set it on one of the hot pads with the freshly heated tortillas next to it and then lifted Papyrus' pot onto the other. It was rather heavy, but you assumed a lot of the weight came from the fact it was cast iron. You called the boys over and sat them in their spots. You went to sit in your chair, but noticed a blue glow around it as it backed away from the table by itself. You stood there a little shocked, until you noticed that familiar cyan coming from Sans. Was he getting the chair for you? You couldn't help the chuckle come from your lips.

"What a gentleman."

Papyrus didn't notice as he was busy helping himself to the spaghetti and then studying your breakfast burrito mixture. Sans winked as his magic pulled the chair in for you; the glow disappearing completely. You still weren't used to that, but maybe with time it'd become normal for you. It seemed to be that way with Papyrus.

"WHAT IS THIS YELLOW GOOP, HUMAN? IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAS A LOT OF COLORS IN IT."

You smiled a little, although the fact he called it yellow goop didn't exactly make you feel better. You chalked it up to Papyrus' innocent nature. 

"It's called breakfast burritos, Papyrus. Have you ever tried them before?"

He shook his head and you gestured to your own plate. 

"Here, I'll show you how to make one. First, you take a tortilla and then a little bit of the burrito filling," you reached for a tortilla, took a spoonful of the mix and displaced it evenly throughout before adding a little salt and pepper, "then you can add some seasoning and tada! You have a breakfast burrito!" 

You wrapped it up in your hand and showed off the finished product to Papyrus. His eyes were still sparkling, but they dimmed as he took a hand to his chin. 

"BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SPAGHETTI? DON'T YOU NEED TO HAVE SPAGHETTI IN IT?"

You put your burrito down and furrowed your brows in thought.

"Well, I suppose you could make spaghetti tacos if you wanted to. You would just put spaghetti inside the tortilla instead of the breakfast filling."

He seemed to process that before nodding. 

"HMM... AN INTERESTING WAY TO COOK. HOW VERY CLEVER OF YOU, HUMAN APRIL!"

You smiled and blushed a little.

"It's nothing, Papyrus. Just help yourself." You glanced over at Sans who was already devouring his first tortilla, "It looks like Sans has the right idea."

Papyrus smiled and made a tortilla. He stopped midway through putting the filling in it before he watched you.

"OH WAIT! YOU MUST TRY MY SPAGHETTI TOO! WE WILL TRY THEM AT THE SAME TIME!"

You couldn't help the frown start to form on your lips, but you were glad Papyrus seemed oblivious to it and you were able to hide it well.

"R-Right, of course. Let me just get some on my pla–"

Before you could finish, Papyrus shoveled a heavy heap onto your plate and you stared at it in disbelief. 'How were you going to eat all that?' came to mind before you noticed the familiar colors of the pasta. That red, yellow, and black were swirled unorganized throughout the lump of what you could only hope would be considered food. You could feel your stomach churning uncomfortably in your gut. The smell was something you couldn't classify. Too many things in one. You couldn't help but notice the grin on Sans' face at your reaction.

"HERE! I HAVE YOUR BURRITO IN MY HAND. TAKE A BITE OF MY PASTA ON THE COUNT OF THREE!"

You swirled some up on your fork and gulped. You could do this. For your future friendship. For Papyrus. For Sans. Ugh... You were starting to get sick. 

"A-Alright... One... Two..." You looked down at the gelatinous heap on your fork and took a deep breath, "Three!"

You and Papyrus took simultaneous bites. Your reactions were completely opposite though. 

You couldn't help your face twist into one of disgust. The taste was indescribable. As you bit into it, you could taste the plastic of the sprinkles mixed in. You felt your throat clog up as you struggled to chew and swallow as much as you could so you wouldn't have to taste it any longer than necessary.

Papyrus, on the other hand, was also speechless. His eyes were bulged out of his sockets and sparkling once again as he moved his jaw to simulate chewing. He finished his bite in no time and slammed his hands on the table. 

"THAT WAS WONDERFUL, HUMAN APRIL! I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER TASTED SOMETHING SO DELICIOUS!"

You were feeling green around the gills, but smiled a little as a light blush painted your discolored cheeks.

"Aww... T-Thanks, Papyrus. Yours was good too..."

You heard Sans snicker beside you and quickly kicked his foot from under the table. He winced a little, but still laughed at you. You quickly took a bite of the burrito you had previously made and sighed contently as the flavor overtook your mouth. You didn't feel as queasy anymore. You quickly scarfed the whole thing down and smiled as the greasy goodness ran out the unpleasantness. You were thankful you had decided to cook. 

"HUMAN APRIL!"

You looked up at him and saw him pointing to a pair of gloves hanging with a gym bag on the closet door knob. 

"IS THAT YOUR BATTLE BODY?"

You laughed a little bit. You guess you were right when he claimed his clothes were his 'battle body'. 

"Oh, you mean my gloves? I suppose they would be my 'battle body' so to speak when I go to the gym, yeah. I use those and my hand wraps."

Sans was mid-bite when you saw his eyes meet yours in astonishment. What was that look for?

"THE GYM? AND WRAPS FOR YOUR HANDS?! YOU MUST SHOW ME, HUMAN APRIL!"

You smiled at him and got up to grab your bag. You pulled out your wraps, giving one to Papyrus to examine while you took the other around your hand. You had done this so many times, you could practically do it with your eyes closed. Wrap the finger loop around your thumb, writing facing down. Wrap three times around the wrist then cross on your palm before going three times around your knuckles. Take it around your wrist and cross on your palm once more as you go between fingers. First, your middle finger, index finger, then pinkie finger. Then wrap another three times around the knuckles, cross on your palm one last time and wrap around your wrist until you velcrowed it with its corresponding end. You flexed your hand into a fist a couple times and glanced up to see both skeletons staring wide-eyed at you. You and everybody else at your gym did this, it wasn't really that exciting to you anymore, but maybe they didn't have kickboxing in the underground?

Papyrus stood up and pounded his chest triumphantly.

"THAT WAS AMAZING, HUMAN APRIL! YOU MUST SHOW THE GREAT PAPYRUS HOW YOU DO THAT!"

You rose an eyebrow.

"You mean how to tie hand wraps or kickbox?"

He sat back down with a bewildered expression.

"WHAT IS THIS KICKBOX THAT YOU SPEAK OF? IS IT A SPECIAL ATTACK OF SOME KIND?"

You tapped your chin.

"I mean, technically? But it's more like a martial art or sport for humans."

Papyrus shot back up and struck a confident pose.

"THAT SETTLES IT, THEN!"

You furrowed your brows. What?

"That settles what?"

He looked at you as though he had telepathy. A knot formed in your gut.

"YOU SHALL TRAIN WITH UNDYNE AND MYSELF, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND SHOW US THIS KICKBOXING ATTACK!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Do you guys like it or hate it? Let me know in the comments; I love to hear your feedback. I really need it for this scene since this is more kind of character development fluff. It's not really that great in my opinion, but again, let me know. 
> 
> Oh, also! 750 views and over 50 kudos! You guys are awesome and thanks so much for the support of this story. I know I've promised this before, but I swear this'll get better. It's slow (like super slow) but after this scene is done, I have a dorky/funny chapter planned. Just need to do some more character development before full-on fluff and possible sins can commence... I hope you guys are enjoying it in the meantime!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	15. You and The Skele-Bros Enjoy Some 'Quality' Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make plans to meet with Undyne 'soon'. Then you show the brothers one of your favorite shows on Netflix. You and Sans have a somewhat deep conversation.

You sat there quiet for a moment. Where had you heard that name before? It sounded so familiar... You blinked again as your heart dropped in your chest. 'Undyne' had been mentioned in your dream; you were 98% sure anyway. She had been mentioned as part of some royal guard for monsters, right? You gulped audibly.

Sans took your silence as a chance to speak and faced his brother.

"pap, i'm not sure april should be training with you and undyne. she may not be ready for undyne's passion, ya know?"

You sighed in relief. Maybe that would get Papyrus to retreat?

Papyrus scoffed and smiled wide.

"NONSENSE, BROTHER! I WILL MAKE SURE UNDYNE DOESN'T HARM MY NEW FRIEND, AFTER ALL, WHO BETTER TO SHOW THIS KICKBOX THING TO THAN UNDYNE!"

...Sadly not, you thought.

_This is interesting. Another monster that might actually kill you? These two skeletons can't seem to get the job done, but maybe this 'Undyne' will... Whatever it takes to get rid of you, you scum._

"Uh... Well maybe I should prepare myself first? Or uhm, maybe you guys could come to my gym with me?" 

You thought to yourself that at least your gym had medical equipment. You know, worst case scenario anyway...

Papyrus contemplated this, but stood tall and resolute.

"OH, BUT OF COURSE! HOW COULD I FORGET THE TRAINING!? JUST LET ME KNOW WHENEVER YOU ARE READY AND WE SHALL GO VISIT UNDYNE! SHE WILL BE SO DELIGHTED TO MEET YOU!"

You breathed out a sigh of relief. That got you off the hook for now. You had another burrito really quick and picked up your plate as you headed towards the kitchen.

"Well, since you both are here, was there anything else you wanted to do? I have some video games or we could watch some Netflix."

Sans had finished his third burrito and licked the grease off his phalanges. 

"netflix sounds good." He turned to his brother, "you wanna watch somethin', pap?"

Papyrus had finished off his spaghetti and burrito while you were putting your dish in the sink and wiping down the stove. He exclaimed happily.

"THAT SOUNDS DELIGHTFUL!" He scoured your living room as he stood and got up from his seat, "WHERE IS YOUR TELEVISION, HUMAN APRIL?"

You chuckled warily.

"Well, I only have one since I live alone and its in my room..." You scratched at your neck nervously, "But I have bean bags you guys can use to sit on or you guys can sit on my bed and watch. Plenty of pillows and stuff to sit back on."

Papyrus had already made it a mission to explore your house and you just watched as he looked at everything. You came back to grab their plates and silverware, noticing that only you and Papyrus had used the silverware. Sans had filled himself up with your cooking instead of his brother's. You giggled a little at that, feeling bad for Sans considering he probably only had Papyrus' food most of the time. You reached for his plate and he leaned back against the chair. 

"well, since paps didn't answer..." His lights watched you, "got anything particular in mind you wanna watch, april?"

You thought about it for a minute, but the only shows that came to mind were ones you weren't sure the skeleton brothers would like. You put the dishes in the sink and came back to put away your food and re-lid Papyrus' pasta.

"Well, I usually watch Dirty Jobs or House M.D. on there... Have you guys seen either of those before?" 

Sans chuckled.

"you watch house m.d.?"

You smiled brightly. Did he know what it was?

"I love that show. I'm guessing you've seen it before?"

Sans winked at you, his eyes then following his brother as he went down the hall to your bedroom.

"i might've stumbled upon it when i was surfing netflix's selection... didn't  **needle**  you as a fan though."

You laughed at the obvious medical pun and put the little bit of your burrito mixture left in a container in the fridge. You were barely able to fit Papyrus' spaghetti inside as well after moving some things around. Hopefully it would stay good in there, if it was even good to begin with. You walked back and winked at him as he got up.

"I'm just  **cane**  over heels for that show." 

He laughed as you both made your way to your bedroom. You couldn't help the snicker as you saw Papyrus comfy on your bed with your pillow in between his arms and legs. The king size cushion looked positively dwarfed when compared to Papyrus' sheer size, but it was so adorable that you couldn't find yourself saying anything in protest. You grabbed a bean bag out of your closet and set it on the floor next to your bed. 

"I can sit in this if you wanna join Papyrus on my bed, Sans?"

Sans looked at you before teleporting next to his brother on the bed, crossing his legs as he leaned back against the wall. You grabbed your Xbox controller and plopped in the bean bag chair, turning on your Xbox and opening up the Netflix app. You scrolled until you found House in your queue. Papyrus spoke up.

"YOUR BED IS VERY COMFORTABLE, HUMAN APRIL! THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SIT ON IT!"

You smiled; he was just too cute and innocent for this world.

"Oh, no problem, Papyrus. Glad you like it."

As Netflix loaded the screen and you scrolled to the first episode, Papyrus quirked his head to the side in confusion.

"WHAT IS THIS SHOW COMING ON? ...HOUSE M.D.?"

You smiled up at Papyrus as you clicked the first episode and the screen finished loading.

"It's a comedy medical show about odd diseases. It's pretty good."

Papyrus seemed to contemplate this, but was instantly enraptured as the opening scene comes on with woman running like mad into what seemed to be a school. She talked lightly to another woman before entering a class of kindergartners. She was talking to some students about themselves and one asks about her weekend. It starts off fine until she starts babbling incoherently then suddenly falls over and starts seizing on the floor. The children don't know what to do, calling her name until the woman from before comes in and calls an ambulance. Then the opening music comes on and begins the episode. 

You know this episode although it's been a while since you've seen it. You still laugh at House's banter with Wilson and Cuddy, and even the way he talks to his team. He reminds you so much of yourself that you can't help laughing at the irony. You glance over at Sans, who seems to be enjoying the show silently. Hmm, maybe he likes the show afterall? Then you see how Papyrus seems puzzled about it, but nonetheless enraptured by the anomaly that is House. As the episode goes on and finally ends with the patient being treated for tapeworm of all things, you pause as you turn on the controller.

"So... Did you guys like it? ...Or do you wanna watch something else?"

Sans shrugs — which doesn't really answer your question — but Papyrus beams as he exclaims loudly.

"I MUST SEE MORE OF THIS HOUSE HUMAN! HE SEEMS VERY SKILLED; ALTHOUGH, HE REMINDS ME A LOT OF YOU, BROTHER."

Sans laughs and shrugs again.

"no way, bro. i couldn't be so  **cripple**  about anything."

Papyrus groaned.

"WELL, EVEN IF THIS HOUSE HUMAN DOES NOT DO YOUR PUNS, YOU ARE VERY SMART LIKE HIM."

This peeked your interest.

"Oh, really?"

Sans looked over at you quickly with an uneven expression before he turned back towards the television. 

"WHY, OF COURSE! BACK IN THE UNDERGROUND, SANS USED TO SPEND ALL HIS TIME — BESIDES SLEEPING, THE LAZY BONES — LOOKING THROUGH THIS OLD BOOK I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND AND MESS AROUND IN THIS OLD SHED BEHIND OUR HOME. PLUS HE KNOWS A LOT OF MATH AND SCIENCE LIKE ALPHYS!"

Sweat glistened on Sans' forehead in the light of your television.

"let's just watch another episode, april..."

Hmm... You contemplated the scenario of probing his innocent brother for more information. It would be easy considering how simple and naively trusting Papyrus was. Then again, using him like that sent a pang of guilt through your chest. 

"Ahh, sure. Lemme just start the next one..."

* * *

You all sat and watched about 5 more episodes in a row. You glanced at your phone and noticed the time; 9:37pm. The brothers had been here a little over 6 hours! Where had the time gone?! You then remembered that each episode was about 43 minutes each and shook your head. You glanced over and saw Papyrus laying on your bed, curled up with your pillow in his arms and cooing soft 'Nyeh's in his sleep. He was so adorable; you couldn't help wanting to snap a picture. You controlled the temptation though. 

Sans, on the other hand, was awake and watching the show attentively. Hopefully you had converted him into a House M.D. fan. It was such a good show, but maybe a little too uninteresting for Papyrus. You were stirred from your thoughts as the episode ended and the credits came rolling.

"so april..."

You turned to look at the shorter skeleton gazing at you from the bed, his white pinpricks glowing in the dim lighting of your room. 

"Yeah?"

His eyes trained on yours in the semi-darkness.

"how come you like this show so much?"

You leaned back in the beanbag chair, smiling to yourself as you thought of the reasons.

"Well, I guess it's easier to say I probably have a thing for House."

He chuckled softly; he probably didn't want to wake his brother. 

"seriously? the guy's kind of an ass though."

You sighed happily to yourself.

"He is, no doubt. But, I understand why he's an ass."

Sans was quiet for a minute before he chimed back.

"...and why's that?"

You closed your eyes.

"He does what needs to be done and only states the facts. He doesn't sugar coat things for others' convenience as much as they'd like him to. He doesn't just outright trust people with who he is, even Wilson and Cuddy who he's known for years. He can see the truth of people and is always right... Everybody lies. He has trouble admitting his mistakes, even though they're few and far between. But he sees the world like a puzzle; everything can be solved if you work at it hard enough in the right way. He's this lone wolf — never expressing his true feelings to anybody and hiding his pain in hilarious sarcasm — because he believes he's better off that way."

You sighed and frowned a little. 

"I guess... I just relate to him a bit more than most and experience the world similarly to the way he does."

You didn't hear anything in reply; you were only greeted by the start of the next episode. You sat back in your seat and sighed quietly to yourself. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to unload on somebody you had just met. But you were like House. Everything you just said was also an explanation of yourself. You heard your guest as he grumbled beside you and shook his brother.

"well, i think it's time i get paps to bed." He shook the other skeleton and the taller of the two groaned tiredly, "c'mon, bro, it's late. let's head home for the night."

Papyrus got up and stretched, yawning sleepily and getting up off the bed after Sans. You paused the episode and got up from your beanbag to walk the brothers out. You all made it to your doorway, Sans holding his brother up with Papyrus' arm around his shoulder.

"Right, well... It was great having you two over. Thank you again for making spaghetti, Papyrus. It was awfully sweet of you."

"Nonsense, Human April..." You had never heard him so quiet before as he let out another yawn, "The Great Papyrus is glad you invited us over for a friend gathering. It was quite delightful..."

Sans readjusted his brother and snapped his fingers. 

"we'll be seeing you around, buddy."

You smiled as you leaned on the door.

"Yeah, catch you guys later."

You watched as Sans carried his brother to the car. He was so meticulous about it, being careful to secure his brother and make sure he wasn't uncomfortable. The sight warmed your heart and you wondered if your brother would ever act as sweet and caring towards you. You instantly scoffed at the idea, knowing it'd only happen when hell froze over. You waved them off and shut the door, sighing to yourself in the now empty apartment. It felt infinitely more lonely now that they were gone. You walked to the kitchen to grab a drink when it occurred to you that you forgot to grab Papyrus' pot and give it back! You yanked open your fridge to see the pot gone. You started to panic and shook your head, wondering if you were just seeing things when your phone buzzed in your pocket. You quickly pulled it out to see a text from Sans.

Sans:  **dun worry bout d pasta. sent it bak 2 our plaz alrdy. hav a gud nite, april**

You sighed, taking a hand to the pounding heart in your chest. It slowed down the instant you read his words. At least you weren't seeing things... You typed back a quick ' **Okay, goodnight**.' and went back to your room. You snuggled under your fresh, clean covers and took a deep breath. 

What was your life going to be like now that these two were in it? You felt a knot form in your stomach at the thought, uncertainty and anxiety taking over your mind. You tried to calm yourself and took another deep breath. There was no point in worrying about the future. You wouldn't be able to change anything no matter how hard you tried. You closed your eyes and readjusted yourself in the covers. It would be okay, just take things one day at a time. That would be best for everybody....

You yawned and felt yourself fall asleep at the dull white noise of House in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. Character development is super boring sometimes and not my favorite thing to write, but then again, I've never written myself as a character before so trying to describe and develop my character properly is a bit difficult. I have an odd personality, you guys will find that out soon enough if you haven't figured it out thus far. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


	16. Back To Work And Your Routine!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get to have a discussion with your boss about the events of last week. You get a bad taste in your mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun times are ahead. Enjoy.

You woke up, yawning at the empty house. You sat up and stretched your arms into the air before dragging yourself out of bed. It was already about 3:30 in the afternoon, but you were still exhausted. Maybe hanging out with Sans and Papyrus wasn't such a good idea after all. Not that you didn't enjoy their company! It was just... Hanging out with others took a lot out of you, especially when they were loud and boisterous like Papyrus. Sans was alright since he seemed calm and collected most of the time. Papyrus was just a ball of energy most of the time, you guessed. You made your way to the restroom, did your usual morning routine, and got dressed for work. 

You sighed as you fixed your hair in the mirror, putting the final touch on your uniform — your socks and shoes, of course — and heading out the door. You started the car and drove to work. A feeling of dread pulled painfully at your stomach, but you tried to ignore it.

Today was your first shift since the whole incident with Sans and the subsequent 'vacation' ending. You weren't sure who had opened that day, but somehow they let your store manager know you needed some time off to 'recover'. That word alone made you cringe and grip the steering wheel tightly. You prayed to the stars that whatever Sans told them wasn't anything outlandish or would cost you your job. Even worse... A trip to a therapist or something. You parked and stared at the big letters in front of your work, taking a deep inhale then exhale. 

It was now or never; time to face the music.

* * *

 

To your surprise, it was just a normal day. Nothing was amiss or out of the ordinary. Nobody looked at you strange or treated you differently — as far as you were aware of —  and that itself took a huge weight off your shoulders. Everybody chatted with you as usual, save for some snarky comments here and there about customers always staying after close, but all was good. 

That was... Until your store manager called you to the managers' office. 

You jumped at the page, startled as you were talking to Jason who was organizing stock in the back while you were fixing up the animals in the new arrivals and isolation rooms near there. You laughed, paged back that you would be there in a minute, and made your way up there.

Every step felt like lead weighing you down. Your mind was racing over what to say to her, what could possibly satiate her, and what would convince her not to fire you. You needed this job despite the fact you were overworked and underpaid. As much as you'd like to quit, nothing that could be done about this situation boded well for you. A firing would look bad on your resume, a therapist visit would look even worse, and possibly having to forcibly leave would tarnish your pride. Although, any of those three options would definitely deflate the small amount of self-confidence you had managed to produce for yourself over the years.  **She**  already made a pretty good job of dashing away most of it. 

As you were stewing in your own thoughts, you realized you were already standing in front of the door. Your hands were shaking and your mind was reeling.  **It'll be okay, it's probably nothing** , you thought to yourself. 

_Sure, keep telling yourself that. Meanwhile I'll keep my sense and remind your stupid ass to start looking for jobs after we're through here._

You clicked your tongue, annoyed with the comment, before taking a deep breath and rapping calmly on the door. It opened promptly and you saw your boss sitting in her office chair on the other side, a strained smile on her lips. You already felt the dozens of knots tightening around in your stomach.

"Come in, April. Have a seat."

You nodded, feet hesitant for a few moments before you shuffled inside and heard the door click closed behind you. You didn't dare look her direction as you sat down in another nearby chair. You were terrified; this was it. Your time here was up.

"So... I feel like we need to speak about the events of last week... Wouldn't you agree?"

You met her eyes for a fraction of a second then nodded again in understanding. She was still smiling, more patient than strained now as she gazed at you.

"As far as I'm aware, you had suffered an episode of anemia and a skeleton monster noticed, is that correct?"

_Anemia? Really?! That's what that stupid pile of bones came up with!?_

You stood wide eyed at her, unable to comprehend her sentence. Sans had told her you had anemia? You guessed that was a decent excuse, but didn't he say that your boss requested somebody watch you?

"And that skeleton monster happened to be a doctor if I'm not mistaken? He said he had been training in a human hospital since coming to the surface and knew about your condition through experience, so Vicki suggested he assist you home and watch over you?"

_He came up with quite a story... Hate to say it, but you might be screwed._

You nodded, swallowing what little spit you had and gripped at the side of your khakis. Sans had told you that your manager at the time said that nobody could watch you, but this wasn't sounding anything like that. Did he lie to you about it? 

You silently cursed yourself for getting lost in your thoughts. Was him lying to you really more important than your livelihood? You needed to mentally prepare yourself for the inevitable. You knew it was coming. The next sentence out of her mouth would be your dismissal from the company. 

"I'm very happy to see you back at work and doing better, do you mind me asking what that skeleton did to you? He seemed concerned about your condition; it was awfully admirable for an up and coming doctor."

Your stomach did a flip. Did she just... Welcome you back from your 'vacation'?

"He uhm... Gave me some medicine to help." You paused to try to calm your thoughts as they raced out of control, "Ahh, if you don't mind me asking, I'm not going to be fired?"

She laughed genuinely and loudly, clutching her stomach. You let out a faint laugh, not finding what you said nearly as funny as she apparently did.

"Heavens no! I can't fire you if you have a medical condition. It's against the law, you know? I just wish you would've told me, though he said it could be only temporary."

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding and released the now death grip you had on your pants. Any harder and even your dull nails would've torn a hole in them. You laughed lightly, out of relief or fear you weren't sure. You quieted down after a few moments and she smiled at you.

"So uhm... Is there anything else you needed to talk to me about?"

She furrowed her brows and tapped her chin. Not a good sign. You felt your body tense again at her silence.

"Mmh... No, I think that's everything."

You breathed out in relief again and slowly stood. 

"Then I guess I'll go back to closing then?"

She gave you a thumbs up and you made your way out of her office. You heard her call "Break a leg!" and snickered to yourself. You did your usual duties and it kept nagging at your mind. 

 **Why the hell would he cover for me like that?** , you thought to yourself.

_You know, the guy's probably crazier than you are. I don't understand why anybody in their right mind would lie for you._

**But he... Even his brother and everything...**

_Maybe there's more to that little skeleton than I initially thought... Interesting! He sure is a monster with some secrets._

**Why do you always focus on the wrong part?! Why did he–**

You felt a hand grasp your shoulder, causing you to let out a high-pitched shriek. You nearly jumped out of your skin. You turned to see Jason standing there, giggling like a preschooler. 

"Wow, April... I didn't even know you had that much girl in you."

You sighed, rubbing your arm and tried to control your glare. Your face was on fire, but at least you had a natural blush-like complexion.

"Well, I am a girl... I act like a bro, but that doesn't mean I don't have a vagina and a decent set of tits."

Jason laughed out loud and wiped some tears from his eyes.

"You're my favorite right now!"

You smiled a little and started walking back when he followed after you.

"So you in trouble?"

You almost tripped over your own feet, but caught yourself. You regained walking momentum, echoing that same fake laugh. You always wondered why Jason could be so damn nosey.

"No, dude. Why would I be in trouble?"

He snickered to himself, like you had said something else just as funny. 

"Because that skeleton kept coming up here looking for you most of last week. Maybe Jess was worried about you?"

You frowned at the mention of Sans, but kept an even composure over yourself. You weren't even sure if you wanted to talk about him. Yesterday was so nice, besides the weird deep conversation towards the end. His brother was sweet just like the first time you met him, while you and Sans seemed to bond a little as acquaintances. The fact that he had lied to you about the panic attack a week ago stung at your chest. You never liked when people lied for you or to you; it was just another way you got hurt in the end. You tried to push the feeling away as you got to the back rooms, Jason following all the while. You got some medication ready to give a rat with an upper respiratory infection. He leaned against the doorway, watching as you picked up and pet the small animal some, before grabbing the syringe and giving it the medicine orally. 

It took it fairly well; though the first couple weeks of this were a nightmare. It was basically struggling not to crush the poor little thing's spine while angling its jaw open and trying not to drown it in medicine. They must've worked with it some while you were gone. You put the rat back and wrote on its chart.

"Even if there was a skeleton following me, I doubt that it would be a big deal. Jess is just a worrywart."

Jason laughed some — clearly not buying your ignorance of knowing about Sans — but didn't push to know any more. 

You filled up food and water for the rest of the animals and signed off on their charts before making your way back to the front of the store, Jason still in tow with you.

"Soooo..."

You looked up at him. It was times like this when you both stood side by side or faced one another that you remembered how much bigger Jason was than you.

"Yeah, man? What's up?"

He smiled down at you.

"When are we gonna get together and play video games?"

You laughed. He was always the person who asked to hang out, but when you finally got a date and everything together, he would either bail or not respond to you the whole day. 

"Well, whenever you want to. I'm usually free when I'm not here. I'm just a hermit, ya know."

He pulled out his phone to glance at something, then looked back at you. 

"Maybe we could do something Thursday? I could come over or you could come to my place and play Rocket League with me?"

You chuckled; he seemed like he was really trying, but something told you he would just bail again.

"You'd have to teach me how to play since I've only seen it on YouTube."

He smirked.

"Oh totally, you know I'm one of the best."

You rolled your eyes as you went back into the sump room, putting the closing supplies away in their respective places. 

"I think I have work in the morning, but I could probably do the afternoon."

He pulled out his phone again and nodded. 

"Alright, Thursday it is then. I'll text you the details later tonight."

You finished putting supplies away and nodded back.

"Sure."

He opened the revolving door and looked back at you, pulling his keys from his pocket and twirling them by their lanyard.

"See you later, April!"

You waved him off, muttering a half-assed bye as you stood there alone with your thoughts again. You pulled your phone out, intent on texting Sans to get to the bottom of this. But... Your hand was shaking. You were mad, and frustrated, and disappointed, and... **Sad**. What would you even say to him? You owed him for saving your ass from losing your job! Still... The pain that stung at your chest was like a knife stabbing straight through you. Better yet, how would you even bring it up? Just go right out and say it? 'How dare you lie about what happened to me and my boss?' 

 **Yeah, right, that would totally go swimmingly,** you thought to yourself.

You bit your lip and put your phone away. There was no reason to be mad at him, other than the fact that he had lied to you. But weren't you going to do the same if you had to come up with something in defense? Your boss couldn't know about your panic attacks, nobody could. Sans just happened to be lucky enough to provoke one and see it for himself. You supposed you would let this one lie slide, it was for the better anyway. You couldn't honestly be mad at him for something you would've done yourself, you only wished he had been honest with you at least and told you he lied to your boss about it. You just wished he wouldn't have lied to you as well...

You felt blood trickle into your mouth and released your lip, realizing a little too late that you had bitten down too hard. You sighed, grabbed your things, and clocked yourself out. You hollered goodbye to Jess and made your way to your car, where you promptly drove home. You took a shower as soon as you got in your apartment, hoping the warm water would wash away this sickening feeling in your chest. It didn't, but the water felt good enough against your air-conditioner chilled skin. You snuggled into your sheets, not expecting sleep to come for awhile. You snuggled into your sheets, not expecting sleep to come for awhile. 

You would keep this friendship with Sans, but it would be difficult to trust him even more than before now that you knew the truth about his lie. Hopefully, it was the only one he'd ever tell you...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, maybe I lied about the 'fun' times, but still. It's not so bad, the reader just has a thing about liars. Just a heads-up.
> 
> Also, I'm blown away... This is at over 60 kudos and over 900 views. I'm really thankful to all of you who are enjoying this ridiculous ride with me. I might be taking a 'slight' break to edit some and maybe (no promises) posting a fluff Undertale story. I'm debating. Let me know if any of you would like to see something like that. It's kind of just an idea and I'd still have to write something, but just an idea. 
> 
> P.S. Rocket League, am I right? I still have yet to play it, and the real life version of 'Jason' is basically a pro. It seems cool, I just only have a shitty laptop who can't run it well. First world problems, right?


	17. Another Reminder of The Shitty Part Of Humanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go about a regular day and get to see first hand how some people think of the 'new' changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sooo sorry for taking so long to post this. I've been through a little bit of a rough patch in my life as of late so things haven't been all that easy... Think of an existential crisis to the extreme. It's a little complicated to explain. Anyway, enough of my rambling... To the chapter!

A couple, uneventful days passed as you did your usual routine. Nothing major happened. The weather was getting warmer, but you didn't pay it any mind. It was midway through summer so that was typical. Your natural body heat didn't help though as that just made you sweat more, especially when you had a busy day full of pet parents and customers asking all kinds of questions — basically making you jump through hoops for them. 

That was the life of retail for you, but the animals made the job at least enjoyable. 

You were holding your favorite pet in the store as of late, an albino ball python named Honey Bee who was currently coiling around your wrist snugly. You were explaining the ins and outs of her care, basic cage requirements, and her feeding schedule to some potential pet parents when you heard two loud yells from the front. 

" **NGGGYYYYAAAAHHHH**! THEY HAVE FISH IN CUPS OVER THERE!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I DONT SEE ANY–"

"RIGHT THERE, YOU BONEHEAD!"

"NYEHHH! EASY WITH ME, PLEASE!"

Who was that? One of the voices sounded familiar, but the other one sounded almost... Dangerous? How you could decipher that from voice alone was a mystery, but you felt a shiver run up your spine. The potential parents you were speaking to about your reptilian baby looked around cautiously, their son peeking over the aisle. You've never seen a child's eyes widen that much than you did right then. 

"Mommy! Mommy! There's some skeletons and a fish lady over there!"

You felt your body tense. Did he say...  **Skeletons**? That didn't bode well. 

"Oh, nonsense, honey!" The woman walked over to the edge and looked in the same direction, "There's no such thing he–...."

Her voice died off and her complexion paled. Again, not a good sign. You didn't go over there, managing to get the gentleman's attention and speak to him again.

"S-Sorry for the interruption. Anyway, as I was saying about her feeding schedule..." He nodded to show he was at least half listening, although he took wary glances at the woman and the little boy, "She's a pretty good eater, been excellent about eating every week too with no issues. I really love that she's so chill–!"

You stopped the minute you saw that red scarf enter your vision. Honey Bee was still coiling around your wrist, but somehow stilled coincidentally when you ceased your gushing about her. You gulped audibly when Papyrus caught sight of you.

"HUMAN APRIL! IT IS SO NICE TO SEE YOU!"

He rushed towards you, prepared to embrace you in a hug if any of his previous behavior was anything to go by. You dropped your hand with Honey Bee in it so he wouldn't crush the little snake.

"N-No! Wait!"

Your warnings were too late as he wrapped his arms tightly around your shoulders. He swiftly lifted you up and twirled you once in excitement. It was sweet, but much too tight for your liking.

"Gahhh!"

You writhed uncomfortably in his embrace, the man you were previous talking to eyeing the tall skeleton suspiciously. You managed an awkward smile at the gentleman, to which he relaxed some. Papyrus was unusually clingy, and you felt Honey Bee start to unravel from your wrist. A knot formed in your gut.

"Uhm, you might wanna put me down now, please... You're attracting some unwanted attention."

He laughed wholeheartedly while you felt Honey Bee wiggle free of your wrist. You glanced down to see her try to reach for Papyrus' spine. She was just barely out of reach, but that wouldn't last for long. 

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, HUMAN? IS THERE AN ENEMY NEAR– **NYEEEHHH**?!"

You yelped as Papyrus dropped you in surprise, narrowly catching your balance on your feet. Honey Bee had started wrapping her head around him, brushing her tongue against his spine and you could only imagine how sensitive that bone was. You pulled her away before she could get a solid grip, uncoiling the hold she had managed with her head and placing her back on your wrist. She sat there for a few moments, huffing in irritation that you had taken away her new jungle gym she didn't even get a chance to enjoy. After she calmed down, she coiled around your fingers and gyrated against your warm skin again.

"W-WHAT WAS THAT, HUMAN APRIL!?"

You rubbed the back of your neck nervously, raising your wrist up so he could get a good look at her. She rose her head as if on cue and stuck her tongue out at him a few times, tasting the air as usual. Papyrus' eyes widened and he reached out to pet her head, only for her to recoil back in shock. You rubbed at her lower body to try and calm her down.

"This is Honey Bee... She's an albino ball python." You smiled a little as she massaged herself against your skin, "Try not to touch her head though, it freaks her out."

The gentlemen watched your interaction with the skeleton, scoffing to himself. The woman returned to his side with the little boy, who was staring in awe at Papyrus. The two adults whispered to each other, but the last little bit you could hear.

"I can't believe they allow that type of thing in here..." The woman hissed.

"I know... So disgusting..." The man agreed.

You could barely hear the insult, but you did and you were furious.

"Excuse me, but I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about this nice gentleman that way."

The man looked at you incredulously, possibly surprised that you were standing up for somebody you didn't know. The woman did the same, her venomous stare only further pushing you over the edge. Little did they know, you had met Papyrus before. Even if you didn't, you would not stand by and watch somebody hurt somebody else for no reason other than ignorance. People hurting you was one thing that happened often here via verbal insults and the like that you could care less about, but people hurting others you cared even a little for was something different entirely. Especially when it was somebody as sweet and innocent as Papyrus.

"What did you say, lady?"

You turned from Papyrus and squared your shoulders, planting your feet into the ground. You kept your face calm and even, but anger was bubbling under the facade. 

"I said that I would appreciate it if you didn't speak about this gentleman that way."

The woman stepped forward and closed the distance between herself and you, glaring daggers into you the whole way.

"How dare you talk to my husband that way! I want to speak to your manager!"

You sighed. Ignorant people just made you so frustrated and physically ill. How could people like this live and breath in the same air you did? They were so nice earlier before your monster acquaintance came around. So much for that.

You could barely hide the frustration in your voice as you hissed back.

"Sure, let me go grab her. Give me just a moment."

You grabbed Papyrus' hand and dragged him away from the couple. Their little boy just stared after you two in amazement, the only one of that group who wasn't so blatantly racist. Papyrus was mumbling apologies back at the couple which just frustrated you more. Why should he apologize?! He hasn't done anything wrong; they have!  **They're**  the ones who should apologize!

"H-HUMAN APRIL! WHAT IS THIS HONEY BEE DOING? AND WHERE ARE YOU TAKING THE GREAT PAPYRUS?!"

You stopped midstep and took a deep breath. You pasted that fake smile back on your face. You shouldn't have dragged this skeleton with you, but you couldn't stand by and watch him be picked on by shitty people. 

" **NYYYEEHHHH**!"

All of sudden, Papyrus yelped and you turned around only to see Honey Bee coiling all throughout his carpals, ulna, and radius. She had released your wrist while you were fuming in your anger and made his bones a prime target. Papyrus was shaking uncontrollably as the snake had her way with his arm. Your face fell and you grabbed at his glove right as the little reptile snuck inside it. You yanked it off and found her slithering around his metacarpals and proximal phalanges. You grabbed at her mid-body and desperately tried unwrapping her while she made every attempt to keep wrapped tightly around anything she could hold onto. Papyrus just stood still in shock, shaking and watching the whole ordeal. At least that made it easier to deal with her without having a freaking out skeleton to top it off.

You finally released her grip on the tall monster and he sagged with relief. You were full of apologies as she wrapped around your arm, though clearly tuckered out from her joyride.

"P-Papyrus, I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention and watching where she was! Are you okay?!"

He smiled, though it was strained. You wanted to totally slap yourself, but not in front of Papyrus. How could you have not paid attention to shit like that?

_That's because you're worthless and a poison on everybody. You hurt anybody you touch, you know that._

Papyrus regained his senses and grabbed hold of the hand that didn't have Honey Bee wrapped around it with both of his. 

"I'M FINE, HUMAN APRIL, BUT ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU LOOK AWFULLY UPSET..."

You tried your best to smile, but it didn't quite work and made Papyrus frown. He looked so sad like that, why couldn't you force yourself to smile like usual?

"I-I'm fine, Papyrus. It's no big deal... I'm sorry I dragged you with me."

He gripped your hand in his and looked into your eyes. It was unsettling; you couldn't help looking away.

"WAS IT ABOUT WHAT THOSE OTHER HUMANS' SAID?"

You turned back to him, the mention of it igniting the fire that had died to a dull flame in your distraction with Honey Bee.

"Papyrus... If you knew what they said, then why did you apologize to them? You didn't do anything wrong! What they said about you was cruel and hurtful. Not to mention incredibly ignorant for two grown adults that are older than me with a child that looks up to them. You deserve an apology from those idiots!"

He closed his eyes, his smile calming into a relaxed grin and he softly sighed, a 'Nyeh' coming from his teeth. It was weird, but maybe it was a habit?

"HUMAN APRIL, ALTHOUGH YOU AND SANS TRY TO PROTECT ME FROM THIS WORLD... THERE WILL ALWAYS BE MEAN PEOPLE IN IT. PEOPLE THAT WISH TO HURT ME OR MY FRIENDS. SANS READ ME A BOOK ONCE THAT WAS ABOUT KILLING YOUR ENEMIES WITH KINDNESS." 

He released your hands and struck a pose. You couldn't laugh, but you cracked a small smile at the display.

"I ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT WITH I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS' CHARMS OF KINDNESS AND PEACE WILL GET TO EVEN THE MEANEST OF PEOPLE, BOTH HUMAN AND MONSTER."

His genuine optimism was both insightful and irritating. How could he remain so happy and joyful when people literally said the types of things that couple did straight to his face? That type of thing would either sadden or frustrate you. The fact he could stay so calm and remain happy was... Well, surprising. You sighed to yourself, but managed a half smile.

"I guess you're right, Papyrus. But I know it must still hurt your feelings, right?"

The skeleton stiffened and shook his head nervously.

"W-WHY NO, OF COURSE NOT! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS MUCH T-TOO STRONG TO GET HIS FEELINGS HURT!"

You frowned a little. He didn't have to lie about it. It was okay to feel hurt... 

_Says the bitch who can't ever feel anything but self pity for being so worthless._

You wrapped your arms around his waist which startled him more.

"H-HUMAN?! W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

You didn't say anything, only squeezing a little harder.

"H-HUMAN..."

Cackling came from behind you. You released Papyrus and turned to see a rather tall, fish-looking woman. Or at least, that's what it seemed like. 

Ocean blue skin with large fins where her ears would be; two red stripes going through them. What really drew your attention was her hair. It was the brightest, fire engine red you've ever seen. Your eyes widened as you took it in. It dropped just barely past her shoulders in a wavy ponytail. There were matching red gills going down her neck, and the funny thing is her skin didn't look like scales. Maybe it was the distance playing tricks on you, but she looked like she had actual skin. Tight black tank on her upper body showing off clearly defined muscles even through the fabric with equally tight denim jeans going down toned legs with red boots on her feet. The last thing you noticed was a black eye patch covering her left eye and very,  **very**  sharp teeth in the shape of a menacing smile...

...Directed at you. She looked like she was ready to fight any second.

"Ha! So you're the human, huh?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not the best, since I've had a lack of inspiration. I hope you guys enjoyed this though, I'll try to post more often. Pray to the stars I get some inspiration soon...
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out!


	18. You Meet Yet Another Monster, This One Much More Intimidating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now you get to meet the Captain of the Royal Guard, or at least the former one. Then you get another weight on your shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm changing the update schedule to once a week. It's easier to remember that way... Sorry to those of you who want updates more often.
> 
> Oh, and before I forget, I do have a tumblr if any of you want to stop by and chat about whatever. I'm just random as always, I mostly reblog stupid stuff Undertale/retro video game related here and there, but feel free to come by and say hi! 
> 
> [Midnight's Trash Bin](http://midnightstrashbin.tumblr.com)

Her razor fangs gleamed in the light and you audibly gulped. Did she not realize that she was absolutely terrifying?! You blinked, not fully processing her words.

"I was talking to you,  **punk**! Don't you know any manners?!"

You shook your head and focused on her eyes. Err, eye. Her smile only grew as she threw out a hand. 

"Y-Yes, sorry, uhm...?"

She cackled again. You really were missing the jokes in your words lately. 

"Name's Undyne! Put 'er there, punk!"

You hesitated. What was she going to do if you shook her hand? She seemed ready to grab hold and throw you back in a body slam or something. Your body tensed up, but you reached out and shook her hand anyway. 

"I'm April... It's nice to meet you, Undyne."

Her grip was firm; you tried to hide the wince in pain it gave you. Although, she had that same warmth that Sans and Papyrus did, it left a different tingling feeling in your nerves. It wasn't really pleasant, way too much stimulation in your arm. You grit your teeth under your smile and barred it as she let go. You saw a hint of something else flash over her expression before her teeth flashed again. Meanwhile, Papyrus was jumping for joy behind you. 

_So this is the Undyne those stupid skeletons were talking about? No doubt she could murder you in a heartbeat... How exciting!_

"OH, I'M SO HAPPY YOU HAVE GOTTEN TO MEET MY NEW FRIEND, UNDYNE! SHE IS THE ONE I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT!"

_That skeleton was talking about you? Probably about what a freak you are... And it obviously can't be good if he was talking to this lady no less._

You frowned a little until she laughed again. 

"Heck yeah, Paps! So she's the one with that kickboxing attack?"

"WHY YES! SHE SAID THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE APPROPRIATE BATTLE BODY AND TRAINING TO DO IT THOUGH..."

"Pffft, no doubt I can do it then! I bench 1,000 pounds a day and run 20 miles! Nothing is too strong for me!"

She emphasized her statement by flexing her arms, and stars was she not kidding. She could probably squish your head like a grape if she wanted to. Your blood ran cold and you tried to laugh it off. Only after she continued did your voice die in your throat.

"Plus I got tons of gear back at the house! I'd just have to call Alphys and see if she can bring me some things..."

She pulled her phone out and was scrolling through something, probably her contacts for this 'Alphys' person. Undyne was really intimidating, but this couldn't end well if she really did have equipment brought up here. You tried to muster up some confidence, something to deter this woman from breaking out into a full-on brawl at your work. You piped up meekly, but you tried to sound convincing.

"O-of course, we probably shouldn't d-do this inside... Especially here..."

She rose an eyebrow and looked at you with her eye. Even her  **eye**  looked like it could stab straight through you. Suddenly Papyrus' suggestion of you sparring with Undyne sounded like the last thing you'd ever want to do for fear of your life. 

"Why not here, punk? Scared I'm gonna beat you at your own attack?!"

You shook your head, though that thought wasn't far from your actual fear that she'd learn and kill you with it.

"N-No! I just don't want to get in trouble... After all, I  **work**  here."

That seemed to satisfy her, but she retaliated in mere moments.

"Then where should we do this thing? I wanna learn this attack! Paps has been gettin' me pumped about it since he found out!"

An idea popped into your head, but you weren't sure if you were going to like it. You let the words tumble from your mouth; it was at least worth a try.

"M-Maybe at your place then, Undyne? Since you said you have equipment?"

Her grin got wider, if that was even possible. It looked like her face was splitting in half. 

"Sounds like a plan!" She held out her hand with sharp, red nails pointing at you, "Lemme see your phone so we can exchange numbers and get the plans set up!"

Why did all these monsters want your number? This was just weird. Nobody else was this pushy about it, but something about telling Undyne no made you scared for your life. You shakily pulled your phone out of your pocket, opened it to a new contact page, then handed it to her. She quickly entered in her contact information, a ring came from her phone in her pocket, then she gave yours back. 

Right as you put your phone in your pocket, you noticed Sans standing right next to Papyrus. You couldn't help jumping a little — not knowing how long he had been there — and took a deep breath to calm your racing heart. You hadn't seen him since you hung out with the brothers and it was difficult keeping that fake smile on your face in front of him. You owed him, it just... Didn't feel that way to you. Summoning your typical chatty facade, you face him.

"Oh, you scared me, Sans! I didn't see you there..."

He gazed at you, before drawling out. 

"at least i didn't scare you  **out of your skin** , right?"

The pun caught you off guard and you laughed a bit too loudly. Undyne and Papyrus practically groaned in unison.

"That's one of your worst, Sans. Seriously?"

Papyrus nodded and crossed his arms.

"NYEH... HE'S COME UP WITH WORSE, UNDYNE."

You watched them chatter to themselves and glanced at Sans, who's eye-lights were already watching you in return. You startled some and turned your gaze away, hoping it wasn't obvious that you were studying him on purpose. Heat rose to your cheeks in embarrassment.

_What the fuck is he looking at?_

You ground your teeth at her statement before you addressed Undyne and Papyrus again. 

"Well, as much of a pleasure as it was to meet you, Undyne, I have to put Honey Bee back in her cage and deal with... Some things."

She cocked an eyebrow at you and you smiled as sweetly as you could. It was difficult considering Sans was **still**  watching you.

"You guys feel free to look around. If you need me, I'll be here for a little while longer."

You walked away from the group with a nice wave and went to put Honey Bee back in her cage. You frowned as she slithered onto her log and locked up the enclosure. 

You grimaced, **Time to go get chewed out by Jess...**

There were two Jess' here. The store manager who reminded you more of a mother — the usual caring, hardworking, and endearing traits — than a boss, and the hiring manager who reminded you of typical management — incompetent, entitled, and snippy. You differentiated them by calling the store manager Jessica and the hiring manager Jess, but sometimes Jess slipped out when you were addressing the former. Today, however, the latter was on duty and you knew she wouldn't be as forgiving of this incident as Jessica was with the Sans' incident.

Your footsteps felt heavier and heavier the closer you got.

_You wouldn't have to be chewed out if you just kept your mouth shut. You never say anything right, so I don't know what you were expecting would happen._

You neared the office to grab Jess when you noticed the former group huddled around it. What were they doing there? As you got closer, you heard Jess speaking formally with Undyne about some 'important' visit.

You cleared your throat and addressed your boss.

"Uhm... Jess?"

They all turned to you, Jess simultaneously nervous and pleading. That face was never a good sign.

"We were just talking about you, April."

Undyne flashed you a toothy grin that still managed to send a shiver down your spine. Sans was now leading Papyrus away, talking about the fish on the giant aquarium wall nearby. The sight reminded you of the many parents who let their children look, being entranced by all the colorful sea life. It was rather endearing.

"Y-Yeah, Jess?"

She ran a hand through her auburn and bleached locks. 

"Miss Undyne was just telling me about some customers you had earlier."

Oh no.

"You stood up for uhm... Papyrus, was it?" Undyne nodded, "And Undyne wanted to make sure I commended you for it."

You blinked. Wait... What?!

"But, the wife wanted to talk to you–!"

Jess rose a hand, and it seemed as though Undyne's smile got wider.

"Miss Undyne spoke with them earlier and seemed to calm the situation down. They wanted to tell you they were sorry though, right Miss Undyne?"

The fish monster laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, they weren't too happy about how they treated ya, so they apologized for ya  **and**  for Papyrus."

You couldn't understand. Did Undyne just cover for you?... What was with these monsters?! Your mouth struggled to form a decent sentence.

"O-Oh... Well then... Thank you. Uhm, for your help, Miss Undyne."

She punched you in the arm and you winced a bit. Jess looked a tad concerned, but didn't say anything.

"No problem, punk! Thanks for the chat, Jessica! I look forward to seeing you guys soon!"

Undyne waved and walked away, hollering at Sans and Papyrus who had made it a decent way down the wall. You were still flabbergasted; Jess' urged whisper taking a few moments to reach your consciousness again.

"April, how do you know that customer?!"

You frowned and stared back at her.

"I just met her moments ago, Jess! I don't even know her yet!"

Jess crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair. 

"Well, you must've made some impression since she seemed to really like you..."

Your eyes widened, but you scoffed.

"She's apparently captain of the Royal Guard for the Royal Monster family–"

You practically screamed.

"W-What!? You mean, like a security for the Ambassador and the King and Queen of Monsters?!"

Jess hushed you, nodding. You sighed and put your head in your hands. You moaned dejectedly to yourself.

"Ugh... Why does my life have to be so complicated?..."

You heard your boss clear her throat and point towards the group watching some fish on the far end of the wall.

"Well, you best keep her and her group happy. If she's some kind of secret service for the Royal Family then who knows what types of connections she might have." Her tone grew more serious and she leaned forward on her knees with eyes trained on yours, "I'm counting on you to keep a good impression, understand?"

You groaned, but nodded.

"I'll try, Jess. But no promises." 

She glared at you and sent you back to work. You trudged to the back and wrung your head in your hands. This was a living nightmare. More monsters and more trouble. You were starting to wonder if maybe you should've told Sans no at New Grill. Maybe your life wouldn't be so complicated now... 

Your phone buzzed in your pocket and you noticed Sans' name on the lock screen. What did he want? You pulled it up and read it to yourself.

Sans:  **heard wut u did 4 paps. undyne & i appreciate it.**

Was that why they covered for you? Not that you actually did anything wrong, but you would've still gotten in trouble for getting customers pissed at you. You frowned some, typing a quick ' **No problem.** ' and tucked your phone back in your pocket. You needed to focus on work. Enough distractions from monsters for now. 

You thought later over the fact that now you owed Undyne as well for covering for you. The fact that the scale was leaning more towards their favor made you anxious. Owing people favors didn't settle well with you, but what could you do? What's done was done and you couldn't just not owe them after all they'd done for you. 

Still, the scale needed to balance if you were to feel any better about these new acquaintances in your life. Maybe you could kill two birds with one stone when you went to Undyne's for her and Papyrus' lesson in kickboxing? 

**Only one way to find out.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I know the story is getting a little dull... I'm trying to fix it, but I've lost my 'gusto' so to speak. I'll get it back! Hopefully... Feel free to give me any tips or ideas, I could always use them. 
> 
> Oh and another dream next chapter! *wink wink*
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out.


	19. You Knew Things Were Too Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up from another nightmare to hear from your 'rock'. Too bad the timing couldn't have been worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I said I would put Undyne's dream in this chapter, but I'm having some difficulty with the pacing of it. So I thought, "There hasn't been angst in a while... Let's have some of that!"
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Here's a link to my tumblr, feel free to message me about whatever. It's full of Undertale fanart reblogs and junk. [Midnight's Trash Bin](http://midnightstrashbin.tumblr.com/)

**_Your brow creased and you struggled to open your eyes. Your head was pounding. This feeling... You took your hands to the sides of your head. It hurts... It hurts so bad. You groaned in agony._ ** ****

_Does it hurt? Poor thing..._

**_You rose your head shakily, gritting your teeth and trying to bare the pain. A voice you've never heard before, but it sounded almost familiar... Who was that? You couldn't see anything; it was pitch black again. Ugh, it hurts... Clench your temples and try to take deep breaths. You clamp your eyes shut again in an attempt to break the feeling. It hurts so much, you start to feel nauseous. Stomach twists into a dozen different knots. Your heart begins to pound harder and faster in your chest. Lungs struggle under the weight of your own body, expanding and contracting painfully as air becomes more difficult to intake. The panic is overtaking you along with the darkness._ **

_True fear is felt by very few... Isn't that right?_

**_A laugh echoed in the darkness._ ** ****

_You know how it feels, they always had a good way of making you feel that, didn't they?_

**_You open your eyes to frantically search for the voice. Where is it?! Who is it?!_ ** **** **_ What _ ** **** **_is it?! Take a hand from your head to grasp at your chest, wheezes escaping your lips as the pain ravages your nerve endings._ ** ****

_The game has just begun. Don't quit on me now; that'll ruin all the fun._

**_Game? What... Game? Shake your head to try and drown it out, only to be awoken from your thoughts by a wet, almost clicking sound. Open your eyes to see giant, hairy legs approaching from the blackness. You count them unconsciously; one, two, three, four, five... Six... Se–... Ven... E-Eight... As the eighth one comes into view, so does its host. Brown body covered in tiny, sensitive hairs. You scream bloody murder as it approaches, body almost appearing out of the darkness. Abdomen larger than your body, it's body almost twice the size of you._ ** ****

**_You try to run, only to find yourself stuck to something. Arms pull only to be tied down by white thread. Your legs stretched far apart in a similar manner. When did...?! The clicking gets closer. Your eyes widened and you can barely breathe. Four green eyes cast themselves upon you, glaring daggers into you. For some reason, the monster has a face and its... You freeze. It smiles down at you, long hair swaying forward enough to brush your chest. You're paralyzed, unable to move as the eyes hold a fix on yours. A wicked smile you know so well curls up on its lips._ ** ****

**_"You're pathetic and useless, why aren't you ever good enough?"_ **

**_Your lips quiver, tears streaming down your cheeks. Why are you here? Who is doing this?_ ** **** **_ Why _ ** **_are they doing this?_ **

**_"You hurt anything you touch, including me. Why couldn't you just be obedient? Why couldn't you just shut the fuck up?!"_ **

**_You couldn't think. Something you never imagined was possible._ **

**_"I-I–... I'm sorry... P-Please, stop..."_ **

**_It comes closer, looms over you and laughs at your misery. You're crying harder now; you don't know what else to do, but to apologize._ **

**_"You think an apology will fix what you've done?! That two simple words will make everything go away?!"_ **

**_You feel your biddings restrict you that much more. You know there will be red marks on your skin as the limbs lose feeling. It might just cut them off. You continue to cry, unable to feel anything but misery as it continues to laugh._ ** ****

**_"P-Please! I'll be good! I-I promise!" Your voice is shaking despite trying to steady it, "I'll do whatever you want, p-please just stop!"_ **

**_"Begging won't help you, filthy, worthless, cowardly bitch. It certainly won't save them, will it?!"_ **

**_You continue to cry, seeing two familiar animals appear beside you. One with dark black hair, white and tan on the paws and belly with brown on its head. It's whimpering quietly, it's coat soaked in patches with what you can assume is blood and shivering. You turn to the other. It's white hair has been stained red in uneven patches across its back and chest. You feel your heart squeeze painfully, moaning despair into the abyss. The monster laughs at you._ **

**_"Their fate is your fault. It's always your fault. Always your fault for everything!"_ **

**_It's legs approach the black animal, it whines again seemingly unable to move to get out of the way. You scream, trying to distract the monster. Your voice is frantic, desperate._ ** ****

**_"Please, I-I'll do anything! No more!_ ** **** **_ Please _ ** **_!_ ** **** **_ N O _ ** **__ ** **__ ** **_ M O R E _ ** **_!"_ **

**_It punctures a leg and the animal howls in agony. You can barely register anything, just watching in almost slow motion as the sharp leg stabs repeatedly into it. You mutter its name over and over under your breath with a mess of 'I'm sorry's. It's not much reprieve before the monster takes its next target; the poor thing's chest. The little animal's blood drips down and drenches your leg. It's still warm, coating your bare leg in a thin, sticky sheet. Your body is shaking as you feel it cover your leg._ ** ****

**_The animal's brown eyes meet yours and you grit your teeth. Guilt washes over you, it's high-pitched whimper pierces your ears. More tears stream down your cheeks. You can barely reach for it, the tips of your fingers brushing against the tiny hairs on its snout. The monster cackles above you both. You cry out as you watch it stab into the helpless beast's chest. Blood splashes across your face and you can taste it on your tongue. That familiar iron aftertaste on your tastebuds. It cries out before going quiet and limp next to you. You feel sick, both inside and out._ **

**_You can't take it. Your mind is blank. You wail into the dark and at the monster. Powerless, helplessness, guilty. You are pulled to face the other side, the white animal wagging the little nub it has barely at you. Even after all it's probably suffered, it's so happy to see you. You can't hardly bring yourself to smile, trying again to break free. It wouldn't even be classified as a grin, more of a horrified grimace. You struggle under your restraints._ ** ****

**_"This is your fault. You left them and this is their fate. You did this, you pathetic harlot! This is what you get for being a disobedient outsider!"_ **

**_One leg skewered straight through both of the white animal's back legs. It whined in pain, you cried in despair. You muttered its name, broken and shaky. Barely able to pronounce the syllables correctly behind a string of cries._ ** ****

**_"Stop! Please! Don't take them from me! S T O P!"_ **

**_You reached out, trying to get to its muzzle. It could barely lick at the tips of your fingers. You could see the light fading from its eyes. You tried to smile genuinely, hoping that your despair wouldn't show and it might give the little thing some strength. It gave one last lick before it was struck in the same spot as the last, straight through the chest with blood once again splattering on your face. You screamed as you watched it go limp like the other one, it's blood falling against your other leg. The thick smell of iron stained your body. It penetrated your nose and you could feel your stomach churn sickly at the stench. Your eyes meet those four green ones once again, that smile stained with blood along its sharp teeth._ ** ****

**_"W-Why... I-I won't be bad anymore... Please... S-Stop..."_ **

**_It laughed at you, it's legs tearing into your arms and torso. You moaned, the pain tearing you apart. Your heart was breaking into little pieces inside your chest. The only two things in your life you truly loved were gone. You felt so dirty..._ **

**_"P-Please... I won't s-say anything anymore... Nobody... H-has to know..."_ **

**_Your blood dripped into the nothingness as it tore through you._ **

**_"It's too late for that, you worthless girl There's nothing to protect you from me! You'll always fall prey to your pathetic sense of guilt! How could you be so worthless!?"_ **

**_Your consciousness was fading, you were losing a lot of blood. Too many cuts as it continued to claw and stain your skin. More tears fell down your cheeks as it cackled down at you._ ** ****

_Oh April, you'll never be free of these nightmares._

**_Your eyes opened to look around, to try and see where that strange voice came from. You saw something in place of the monster, though it was much too blurry to see clearly. Almost like a mirage. It was a person. Long, night black hair sparkling with bits of something. Dark eyes piercing into your very being. A devilish smile cracking it's face in two. Black robes draping down its form, disappearing into the darkness. It hovered above you, giggling to itself. A feminine hand glittering with some kind of jewelry caressed your cheek and down to your neck. Silk sleeves caressed your battered up skin._ **

_Don't be scared, my dear... I won't let you go._

**_You could barely speak, no energy left after all the blood drenched their robes. You blinked and found the monster back, it's knife-like leg against your neck. Your eyes widened as it swung itself back ready to strike. A broken voice mixed with the familiar and the previous one from seconds before echoed faintly in your ears._ **

**_"_** _You'll never escape. Never forget your sins._ ** _"_**  

**_It came back full force, it's leg striking your neck._ **

* * *

 

You shot up, screaming. You gripped your neck and sobbed. Crippled with grief, the blood-stained smile on its face as it swung the final blow flashing behind your eyelids. Your body shook uncontrollably. You were practically hysterical. Your speech was strung together poorly, words incoherent and slurred behind your tears.

"I-I'm... So–... So-sorry... So sorry... Pl-pleaseeee..."

Your hands drug themselves through your hair, gripping stray strands and pulling some out. Those two bloody bodies being limp and lifeless make your stomach knot up. That familiar burning sensation crawled it's way up your throat and you narrowly caught your mouth in time. You heaved, vomit slipping through some of the space between your fingers. Careful as you lean over to relieve yourself in that trash can. Although before you make it fully down, another thrust of your body interrupts as more makes its way up your esophagus into the bin. You can't keep some of it from getting past your hands; some chunks squeezing through with unbridled force and narrowly missing the bin, staining the carpet beside it. You finish up as another heave keeps you down, then wipe your mouth with the back of your disgusting hands. Needing to get up to clean up, you're startled by your phone ringing. Who was it? You grab a paper towel from the roll that you keep by your bed just for these occasions, wipe your hands and pick it up.

'Dad' is large, white font is displayed on the screen as it vibrates in your hands. You can still taste the bile in your mouth, but you calm yourself as best you can before you answer. The shaking in your voice is difficult to hide, but you manage it.

"Hello?"

His voice echoes on the other end. It sounds worried.

"Hey sweetie, how are you?"

You struggle not trying to let yourself break down into tears, the recollection of your last nightmare playing in your mind.

"Oh, I'm fine, dad. What about you?"

He coughs a bit and you frown.

"Dad?"

He collects himself after an intense coughing fit, voice hoarse from it.

"I'm doing alright, just choked a bit on some water." Another cough or two before he continues, "Jan and I just got back from the farm. We have some fresh berries here if you want to stop by some time this week and pick some up?"

You couldn't really smile, but it was a sweet gesture. You needed to clean up your mess first and foremost. 

"That's sound great, dad. Jan's berries are the best. I'll definitely come by, just depends on work."

There was silence before you heard his voice again.

"You sound a little upset, sweetie, you okay?"

You almost dropped the phone. Even though your dad was a brainiac, he wasn't the best with 'feelings'. The times when he was keen to picking up your emotional signals surprised you. You laughed a little, it was hollow and forced.

"Oh, yeah, just haven't been sleeping that well lately... It's no big deal."

_Lying to your own dad, a little heartless there, aren't you?_

"Is it more of those nightmares? About –?"

You quickly interrupted him.

"No!" You bit your tongue, the anger in your voice uncalled for and that taste of vomit making your dry heave, "Just not been easy to sleep, I'll be fine. Don't worry, dad."

That familiar almost sigh, so characteristic of him. It was a mixture of a click of his tongue and an exasperated exhale. He was worried, but you knew better that he wouldn't ask details. The last time you told him, he wasn't very pleased with the results.

"It's probably because you always take naps during the day; you ought to have a more regular sleeping schedule, April."

You frowned, but tried to keep your voice lighthearted.

"I know, I know. It's hard enough sleeping during the day, dad."

He paused, hushed voices and shuffling through the speaker. It must be Jan, she's probably home by now. 

"You know, April, it's not your fault. Don't feel guilty over what you can't control. You can only have control over what you do for yourself.  **She**  made those choices on her own, and that's nobody's fault but her own–"

"I know, dad. I know... I'm fine, though, really." You let out a tired breath, you were still reeling, "Please, just drop it, okay?"

_Wow, way to pull the bitch card. You're truly heartless, you know?_

Another almost sigh. Some more hushed voices in the background. A bit of rustling before Jan's voice rung over the receiver. 

"April, did your dad tell you about the berries?"

You grit your teeth, the sickening feeling being replaced by mild anger.

"Yeah, he did. I'll stop by for some later this week."

She didn't seem to notice the edge to your voice as she laughed.

"Of course, of course, we look forward to seeing you!"

"Me too, Jan. See you guys soon."

A hushed 'I love you' between the two before a kissing sound. Your dad came back on.

"Maybe we could do a movie this week? I heard that Suicide Squad is out."

Your face fell, but you tried to smile in your voice regardless.

"Yeah, that sounds great."

"I'll check show times and let you know. We can go on a night you're free."

_Can't even be honest to your own father... How pathetic are you?_

"Awesome, talk to you later, dad."

"Alright, love you sweetie."

You clenched your teeth as a tear fell down your cheek. 

"Love you too, dad."

You hung up and threw the phone on the floor in front of you. You broke down once again, collapsing on your back and covering your eyes with your arms. Body shaking, hands clenched, tears streaming down past your eyes and dampening your hair. This was madness.

_Some would call you a pathological liar, April. Lying to your own father... He wouldn't be able to help you regardless. He'll never understand you; **nobody will**. _

You tried to calm yourself down, remembering you needed to clean the vomit off the carpet as your toe rubbed against it. Almost no energy came to your legs and you nearly fell over when you stood. Hand thrust against the bed, giving you the strength to stand up and stabilize yourself. Your body still shook as you went to the bathroom, grabbing a rag and some carpet cleaner to clean the stains. Wash your hands before you get to it though in the bathroom, the smell of your vomit disappearing from them. You get back to your room, quickly cleaning the mess and dumping out the contents of your trash bin in the container outside your apartment. You go back in your room and collapse on your bed, exhaustion taking over you. Your breakdown was fading, heart beat slowing, and eyes drifting closed.

**Please not another nightmare... Anything but another one... I would give anything never to dream of them again...**

So tired... Your eyes fully close as you drift off to sleep once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo.... The reader has a bit of a complicated relationship with their family. Let's just say that. I wasn't too happy with the whole development of the nightmare, but I tried to get it as best as I could. Hope you guys enjoyed. If you guys have any ideas or anything, I'd love to hear them. I feel like I don't say that enough... Also, feel free to message me. I love hearing you guys' feedback. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out.


	20. Another Dream and Another Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You start to wonder just how many times this will happen to you. Then you take Undyne up on her pleas to learn your 'technique'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Undyne's dream is here! What better way to start the chapter! 
> 
> Oh, and for those of you who enjoy a little sinning, I've posted another [story here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7781062/chapters/17748388) that is full of it in it's first chapter. Feel free to check that out if you wanna. Fun times ahead! Choo Choo!

For once, your prayers were answered... In a way. 

* * *

**_It was hot. That was the first thing you noticed. Much brighter too compared to the previous snowy landscape you had seen before. Where were you? Were you even in the same place as before? There was no snow, only lava and heat. It was at least warmer, but much too hot for your liking. It felt like you were wearing something heavy... Metal? Something akin to armor in your peripheral. Who would wear armor in this heat?! _ **

**_You tried to clear your thoughts as the world solidified around you and your body came into focus. Another person's consciousness taking over yours in mere moments. This was getting... Easier to deal with at least. No easier to understand, but it wasn't necessarily for understanding. You were here to view another memory, another person's thoughts, another person's actions, and then to keep it in your memory. You didn't know why, but something deep in your mind was telling you that that was the purpose of this._ **

* * *

**_You were furious. Absolutely enraged even! How could they do that?! Knowing the rules of battle and they run, multiple times! They couldn't even have the courage to face you! What kind of fighter were they?! At least the other humans that you had come across at least had the fighting spirit enough to face you!_** 

**_You punched a boulder which shattered to smaller pebbles at your blow. You barely feel the pain through your armor, even if it might've actually hurt your bare hands — which was unlikely. You stomp angrily out of the heat, baring your teeth at any passerby that you come across. You wouldn't normally be so crude to other monsters, but that whole argument — you wouldn't even consider it a proper fight — put you in a horrible mood. How could you have been humiliated by such a weak, pathetic human?! You were captain of the Royal Guard, the strongest in the Underground besides the King and Queen themselves! They should've easily fallen at your skill! Yet, they escaped through insignificant mercy! You didn't deserve mercy! If they wanted to give you mercy, they would've handed you their soul so monster kind could finally break the barrier and be free of this place! _ **

**_You made your way to your home, a large fish shaped house in a much cooler climate. Thank the stars you were no longer in ridiculously hot place. You could barely tolerate it without your armor on, let alone with it! The only reason you went there in the first place was for the king or the Royal scientist. You opened the door and locked it behind you. Taking off and placing your armor to the side, you carefully set it so it wouldn't get damaged. Much cooler and still fuming, you got a kettle ready and made your way to the stove._ **

**_"Who does that human think they are?! To humiliate someone like me, Captain of the Royal Guard and strongest of the Underground! Some stupid, pathetic punk! NGGAAAHHHH!"_ **

**_You threw the kettle and spilled water everywhere including your own clothes. You growled to yourself. You turned on the flame and refilled the pot. You put it on the stove top with a clang and sat at the table while you waited for it to boil. You slammed your hand on top of the wood. This was ludicrous! How could such a weakling defeat you?!_ **

**_You felt your eye widen and shook your head._ **

**_"There was no way they defeated me! We didn't battle! They just managed to get away from me!"_ **

**_You slammed your hand on the table again, making a prominent crack in the wood. You hissed, remembering the fact that your clothes were wet. You begrudgingly got up and went to change into something else. A black tank top and blue denim jeans were hung in your closet. Good enough. You slipped them on, getting the tank top over your head right as you heard the kettle whistling away. You made your way back to the kitchen, getting your tea bag and a mug out to make something to cool your head. You made the tea; put the tea bag in the mug, then pour the water over it, and let it sit. You played with the tea bag, your teeth grinding together as your anger stewed again. The sight of the water pouring over the tea bag brought back the memory of the human pouring water over you. It sent your blood boiling._ **

**_"What a weakling! How dare they humiliate me?! I can't believe I let them get away! The last soul... It was in my grasp!"_ **

**_You went to sit on the table and placed your tea beside you. You took a sip, wincing as it was still too hot._ **

**_"King Asgore will be so displeased... He's counting on me to help him get the souls! I can't believe I let him down! Ngahhh!"_ **

**_You burrowed your face in your hands, frowning in displeasure._ **

**_"Asgore..."_ **

**_You hummed to yourself, looking at the steam wafting from the tea beside you._ **

**_"He'd probably tell me not to worry and drink some tea, that wimpy loser..."_ **

**_You huffed and took a sip, the tea much cooler now._ **

**_"This is even his favorite kind..."_ **

**_You put the mug down and held it in between your hands, watching as less and less steam bellowed from the mug. You thought back to when you were younger and stupider, challenging Asgore to fight only to be beaten without him even fighting back. This was almost like that; the human didn't even fight, but when they were engaged in battle, they managed to block your blows so efficiently._ **

**_"I guess I can say the human is like him, huh? Even down to the fact that they helped me..." You grumbled, "Though I don't need their stupid help..."_ **

**_You remembered the fact the human had spared you, cooling you off after you couldn't take the heat anymore. You collapsed on that rickety bridge right past Sans's sentry post and they calmly walked to the water cooler, grabbed a cup, and poured the refreshing liquid over your gills. They didn't have to do that, in fact, you were sure anybody else wouldn't have done that after a fight, but... They did. They took the time to help you even after you had chased them down and attempted to take their soul multiple times. It was so much like Asgore that you found yourself smiling a little._ **

**_"Asgore may not be happy I let the human get away, but maybe it won't be so bad. I'll always have more chances to get them!"_ **

**_You drank the rest of your tea and thought to yourself._ **

**_"They're both wimpy losers with big hearts... I suppose it's good I lost to them... But it won't happen again!"_ **

**_You smiled, your sharp teeth gleaming in the lighting of your home._ **

**_"Next time, I'll beat them for sure! No human can get away from me again, I swear on my honor as Captain of the Royal Guard! Ngggaahhh!"_ **

**_You rose your tea cup in victory as you received a call from Papyrus._ **

**_“What is it, nerd?!” He mentioned something about coming by, “Yeah, of course you can come by! You’re always welcome here, punk!” He did that laugh, you always recognized it as him being excited, “Yeah, see you soon, Papyrus!”_ **

**_You hung up the phone and cleaned up your dishes. This would totally get your mind off that stupid human! You’d have the best time with Papyrus and nothing would get in the way of that! Nothing!_ **

**_Once again, the world disappeared before your very eyes in a rush of darkness._ **

* * *

You jolt awake and glance around to see your own familiar room in front of you. It was jarring, considering the previous landscapes. These dreams felt so real... You still weren't used to waking up back in 'your' world. You rubbed your eyes and put a hand to your chest.

Ugh... When had you fallen asleep?

You sit up and stretch, the dream still reeling in your mind. So another one… That’s 3 so far. How many more would you be getting?

You sat on that thought a little too long, the possibilities of thousands of dreams coming to you. If this was a monster thing then… There were hundreds, if not thousands of monsters on the surface now! These years on the surface have allowed them to spread out and multiply which only meant that the initial couple thousand was probably close to tens of thousands – that is if they were anything like humans reproductively speaking. Oh stars, that meant so many dreams and memories you had to see and catalog... Your head was spinning. A wicked headache plagued your mind the further you drifted into this train of thought and you stopped yourself.

Just focus. It’s alright, one day at a time, right?

You took a deep breath to calm yourself down. You grabbed your phone and wrote this one down, marking the date and possible monster’s name on top. This one was much more obvious, and that would be that it was Undyne’s. Nobody seemed as tough as she did that you've met so far. Sans’s was still a mystery to you, since his didn’t line up with the next two, but maybe you’d find somebody’s who is akin to his? 

You shook your head again.  **One day at a time** , you reminded yourself,  **just one day at a time**.

* * *

As you thought, Jason ended up cancelling last minute on Thursday. Well, not that you minded. You could have the rest of the day to do whatever, it was only 12pm anyhow. 

You got home and curled up in your sheets, getting YouTube set up and playing some random video. Maybe you should do something? That dream came back to mind and you thought of your new monster acquaintances. The void of YouTube and sleep was lulling you, but you brushed it off. Undyne was dying to hang out with you to learn your 'special' attack. The idea of her and Papyrus's enthusiasm made you chuckle. 

A quick text to see if she was available, and so fate would have it, she was and wanted you over ASAP. You went through your apartment quickly to grab your things. Workout clothes? Check. Boxing gloves? Check. Hand wraps? Check. Water? Check. First aid kit? Check. You shuddered at the last item, but figured it was a worst case scenario option. You stuffed everything in your gym bag and locked the door behind you. As you made your way to your car, you got Undyne's address and headed over.

* * *

You had parked your car in a lot right at the perimeter of the district, careful to hide any belongings under the seats and such. It was normal protocol for you. No need to give anybody more incentive to break into your car. It was somewhat of a walk to her house, and you heard whispers here and there followed by either causal or obvious stares. Even the guard of the lot had given you an odd look, especially when you told him you were there to visit Undyne. You gripped the straps of your bag slugged around your shoulder a little tighter as you watched the ground. Hoping that maybe if you focused on the sidewalk in front of you, the monsters passing by wouldn't stare so much. 

The housing was... Huge. The whole monster district outside of Mt Ebott was HUGE. They had an entire community and everything, monsters walking around and chatting amongst each other, although the continuous and obvious looks that came as you passed by were deterring. It was to be expected, some weird human coming around and disturbing the peace. You frowned. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all... 

Luckily, Undyne's house was finally within reach. It was... Well, similar to all the other housing. Ginormous and terrifying. You could hear screams and something akin to war cries coming from the backyard. You paused about 10 feet from the front door since the cries only got louder as you approached.

_What are you doing? Go up there and knock, you dimwit!_

**...Maybe this isn't such a good idea? I mean, there's people screaming back there!**

_Whatever, maybe one of them will beat your sorry ass into submission. You need to be put into your place, you imbecile._

You both were silently bickering back and forth when a tap came to your shoulder. You dropped your gym bag, which so happened to land directly on your foot and then yelped in pain. It was heavy despite not much in it and you gridded your teeth together.

"sorry pal, didn't mean to spook ya."

You turned to see nobody there, but that voice sounded like Sans's. Was he here? You shook your head back and forth. No matter; you took a moment to recover from the pain and headed for the door. Mine as well just head up since somebody already knew you were here. You couldn't bolt now. You rapped on the door a few times and heard some stuttered shouting in a nasally voice on the other side.

"H-H-Hold on! I'll b-be right th-there!"

Who was that? Some scratching came from behind the door. It sounded almost like... Feet, **claws** shuffling? What the–

Greeting you on the other side of the door was a yellow, triceratops monster with a full-metal alchemist shirt and black skirt. That was a statement in and of itself... Besides the robotic arm she had in her hands. She was nervous, twitchy even as her eyes fell on you from behind her glasses. 

"W-Who... W-Who are you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hated that Undyne's dream wasn't that long, but I couldn't extend it without making it annoyingly repetitive. Although it somewhat is anyway... Regardless! We get to fully meet her favorite monster next chapter! Look forward to that! 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
> Midnight out.


	21. Sometimes Curiosity Isn't Always Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're welcomed into the house only to hear something you probably shouldn't have. Then it's time for training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry everybody for the impromptu hiatus for this story. I've been having some trouble just doing anything lately, including writing for this story. I want to write, but it's like I can't find the motivation to do so... Ugh, and some family issues/school that'll probably put this story on hold some more. 
> 
> I STRONGLY recommend that if you're still keeping up with this and want to keep up with it in the future, subscribe for updates. I don't always have a good update schedule, as you could probably tell by now, so it's just a wise option. No pressure, of course.

You adjusted your bag and tried to smile as genuinely as you could as you held your opposite hand out. 

"My name's April, uhm... Undyne said to come by..."

The monster gasped and dropped the robotic arm in front of her, putting her hands to her mouth in shock.

"O-Oh! So you're the h-human that was supposed t-to stop by?! O-Oh stars... U-Uhm..."

She was nervous, obnoxiously so. You wanted to calm her so you took your hand back. Find something about her you can compliment about. You studied her from head to toe nonchalantly, then focused on her shirt.

"Oh, uhm... I like your shirt. That's a good anime."

She stood stock still, eyes dilated. Completely quiet. Did you say something wrong? Usually complimenting somebody worked to calm their nerves, but she wasn't–

"Oh my s-stars, I know, r-right?! I l-love that anime! Who's your f-favorite character?!"

You winced a bit at her volume. So much for that anxiousness. You were glad that you studied psychology. 

"Ah! Uhm... Ed, probably. I love his voice actor, and the science behind alchemy is pretty cool."

Her eyes were sparkling. Was she really into that anime or just anime in general? You watched as she picked up the metal arm she had dropped and it seemed really familiar to the topic at hand... You barely heard her rumbling on about the plot line when it clicked.

"Is that a copy of Ed's arm?!"

She stopped and stuttered, her face flushing a dark red as she cradled the arm. 

"O-Oh... Right... Y-Yeah, I wanted to uhm... H-Have Undyne cosplay h-him... S-So I was making her this t-to try on..."

She  **made**  that?! It looked almost identical, if you remembered the show right. How long has she taken to make it? Where did she get the designs? She must've watched the show over and over again just to get the general design right, let alone all the details on it. You bit your tongue from asking her more questions, although you wanted to ask a ton more. 

"W-Well, let me take y-you to her... She sh-should be in the b-backyard..."

She moved to guide you to the backyard, but you hesitated following her.

"Uhm... Can I get your name, at least? I don't think you've told me."

She jumped and fidgeted nervously with her fingers. Well, more like claws. It was kind of cute, but really disheartening. Her hand reached out to shake yours.

"I-I-I'm Alphys... N-Nice to meet you..."

You smiled and shook her hand back. 

"You know my name, heh, but it's nice to meet you."

Her face twisted into something unreadable. You recognized it. Now that you thought about it... Every monster you had met had made the same expression. That signature shot of heat came through again, but more lukewarm at best. That was even somewhat similar... Although each monster seemed to have a different feeling after their hand left you. This was confusing. Should you ask? That would be strange to just ask such a random question, right? This monster, Alphys, might know, but would probably stutter and be too nervous to give you a definite answer. 

"U-Uhm... L-L-Lets just go to th-the backyard then... F-F-Follow me, p-please."

She didn't maintain eye contact with you after that. Was it something you said? Or maybe you had some type of body language issue? No. Each monster had a different reaction after the initial, but hers seemed clear enough. There was something to that warmth and whatever it was left her unsure of how to go about further communication with you. It was a little disheartening. 

Your steps dragged behind her as you tried to distract yourself from the uncomfortable silence. 

You weren't even sure what it was that they were doing, if anything at all, or if it was just a monster thing that you didn't know about. Maybe it was their magic coming in contact with your skin? That made some sense if it was some type of field they had around them or something. Almost like... Static electricity in a sense. Or even some weird magnetism that humans didn't have? Ugh, you didn't do this type of science and it was making your head hurt trying to come up with an explanation. You cursed that you couldn't just blurt out your questions like you normally could when you were curious about something. Chalk it up to the wind and bite the bullet. You were known for being blunt with a sharp tongue. Something about these monsters... Made you hesitant to say anything.

"S-S-She and Pap-pyrus are over t-there. I-I'll uhm... G-Go make some s-snacks. E-Excuse me!"

You attempted to stop her, but she was far gone before you could do much. You sighed to yourself, unsure of this trip. To your surprise and interest, Papyrus and Undyne looked as though they were sparring with each other. Orange and blue bones springing up from the floor and falling from the sky, then green spears flying back and forth. It was almost mesmerizing, all the colors flashing across your vision along with their flips and turns as they dodged each other's blows. You'd never seen a monster battle before. It was intriguing. You were watching their attacks when suddenly some small floating things caught your attention from both sides. In front of their chests — bouncing around and floating as best they could with all the running around — were white, upside-down hearts. 

What were those? They didn't seem very solid, but flashed different colors as both monsters got hit. Papyrus's flashed orange as a green spear nicked his ulna. You watched closer. Undyne's lit up green for only a moment as a bone tripped her up on the ground. So they didn't glow the same color? Or at least when they were hit, they didn't. You wondered how come Papyrus's was orange and Undyne's was green, then if all monsters had particular colors when they got hit by something. Maybe it was almost like the pain response in this little heart? Instead of electricity going through it, it was some type of burst of magic? You wished your knew more about monster biology so that you could understand.

Hmm... You were studying so closely that you didn't notice a spear fly off away from its intended target. As it came barreling toward you, you were frozen in fear of what it'd do to you. Suddenly, a bright, blue bone flung it away from your vision into the ground a few feet away. It disappeared after a few moments. 

"you ought to pay more attention to your surroundings, kid. barely  **spear** ed you from undyne."

You shook your head and glanced in front of you to see Sans standing there, that grin on his cheekbones. When did he get there?

"Oh uhm... Right. I guess I was just, not paying attention–..."

"Yo, punk! Sorry about that!"

You turned to see Undyne and Papyrus jogging towards you. Undyne didn't look worried at all, which was the exact opposite of Papyrus. He picked you up swiftly and started examining you all over.

"OH MY STARS! HUMAN APRIL, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

He turned to Undyne with an annoyed scowl on his skull, "UNDYNE, YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL!"

She cackled at his attitude and patted your shoulder. The taller skeleton seemed happy with your unscathed body and put you down. His scowl was turned to you.

"AND YOU, APRIL!"

Your spine automatically straightened out of habit and your eyes widened. A hallucination formed in front of him. You tried to control the fear trickling through your nerves. A shadow, tall and looming over you with an angry scowl in place; the shadow frowned down at you.

"YOU HAVE TO BE MORE CAREFUL! WHAT IF MY BROTHER HADN'T BEEN THERE TO PROTECT YOU?"

_'How could you be so **careless**? Why do you have to be so  **stupid**? Why do I always have to cover for  **you**!?'_

It was as if you were on autopilot. You started to mutter an apology quietly.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to... I-I won't do it again..."

The shadow rose a hand swiftly.

_'You're **pathetic**! You can't even stand up for yourself! Why do I have to put up with such a sad excuse for a...?!'_

You clamped your eyes shut and winced. Papyrus brought you into a tight hug again. Your eyes shot open. The hallucination had faded away.

"I WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO GET HURT! UNDYNE'S SPEARS ARE VERY POWERFUL!"

You startled at his arms wrapped around you, silencing yourself. You bit your tongue as you waited for him to put you down. You prayed that he and the rest of them hadn't noticed your lapse in consciousness. You cleared your throat and he gently placed you back on the ground.

"OH, MY APOLOGIES."

You rubbed your arm anxiously avoiding his eyes. He smiled at you regardless.

"I-It's fine. Uhm, you guys were just sparring, right? I should've been paying more attention to what was around me."

He looked at you calmly before a quizzical expression came to his face. Boney phalanges grasped and stroked his jaw. He glanced away with a grimace. 

"WHILE THAT IS TRUE, UNDYNE HAS A VERY BAD HABIT OF GETTING TOO PASSIONATE SOMETIMES..."

"Hey, PAPS! DON'T THROW ME UNDER THE BUS! YOU do the SAME thing!"

Undyne took hold of Papyrus's neck and pulled him into a noogie. As he whailed in protest with Undyne chastising the whines, you couldn't help notice Sans was nowhere to be seen. You didn't try to make it obvious, but you did look around — if only a little. He must've done his 'disappearing' act again. Stars, you wished you could be so lucky as to have teleportation powers at your immediate disposal. Oh, the possibilities!

Undyne released Papyrus and focused her attention back on you. You straightened again at her stare and gripped your bag.

"So you gonna teach us this attack or not, punk?! You gonna work out in THAT?!"

You looked down at your jeans and casual tee. Obviously not, these would get ruined and possibly torn if you were to work out in them.

"Oh, no." You motioned to your bag, "All my stuff is in here."

Undyne grinned. 

"Great! Let's go then!"

You blinked and rose a brow. 

"What?"

She growled; those sharp teeth of hers barring at you menacingly.

"GO GET CHANGED, PUNK!"

You jolted and saluted. 

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

You turned around and ran back to the house. That smile and subsequent ordering, she was too similar to... You sighed as your heart slowed down, taking a hand to your chest. It's okay, she didn't mean it to be threatening... You think. You shook your head and looked around. Where was the bathroom? Maybe Alphys was in here? Even though she might be uncomfortable around you, if you could even call it that, she could at least guide you to the bathroom. Your nerves steadying, you cleared your throat.

"Hey Alphys! Are you in here?"

No answer.

"I uhm, don't know where the bathroom is!"

You walked through the huge house, praying you wouldn't get lost. Every room was almost identical, so getting lost was a very strong possibility. You tried to remember the path Alphys had lead you through when you first arrived. You swallowed as you made your way around until you heard a pair of voices. 

"she's just a human, that's all."

That sounded like Sans's voice. You weren't sure whether to go towards it, but your curiosity got the better of you.

"You s-say that! B-B-But she didn't–!"

That was Alphys! Even though you had only talked to her briefly, that stutter was obviously hers. You took some more steps toward it till you could see them around the corner of the hall. They seemed to be talking about something pretty close together, maybe it was private? Against your better judgement, you hid behind the wall a few feet down and strained your ears to listen.

"i know, but i'm not sure of anything yet. you shouldn't assume, alph."

The yellow monster seemed to huff.

"R-R-Right. And I'm j-just supposed to t-t-talk to that ' **human** ', h-huh?" She paused for a moment, "What if s-s-she's just like A-Asriel?!"

Why did she put emphasis on that word, human? What was that supposed to imply? And who was Asriel?

"she is human, as far as i can tell. nothing but  **that**  says differently."

'That'? What was 'that'? Listening to this conversation was only leading you to want to ask more questions. To want to know who or what they were talking about. To want to know why they were talking about it in such a manner. To want to know why they were talking about it in what seemed like secrecy. You took a deep breath and spoke as you turned the corner. 

"Alphys?..." they caught sight of you and stopped their talking, "Oh, Alphys! I was looking for you! Can tell me where the bathroom is? I need to change before Undyne has my head."

Sans looked at you somewhat knowingly, almost as if he knew you were there the whole time. Maybe he did, but you guessed it didn't matter since he didn't bring it up. Alphys was a nervous wreck. Sweating and fidgeting with her hands as she couldn't keep her gaze on you. 

"S-Sure! Of c-c-course! Its r-right down th-the hall that w-way... f-f-first door on the r-right..."

You smiled and rubbed the back on your neck. Your bag sagged down your shoulder and you readjusted it.

"Oh awesome, thanks."

You turned away from them and made your way in the direction she mentioned. Sure enough, an extremely luxurious bathroom came into view. You gawked at the furnishings; giant sink, an automated toilet with what looked like buttons next to it, and a decorative rug. Various posters of animes and manga covers along the walls with scented candles everywhere. Most of which varied in scent. You didn't dare get close to them, the smell alone would probably give you a headache. 

You squatted down to open your bag and get your clothes. Setting them on the sink for easy retrieval, you shuck off your current clothes and put them in the bag. Your cellphone laid on the sink next to your gym clothes as you put on one article at a time. Workout pants, then bra, then sports bra, then undershirt, then workout shirt. You readjusted your ponytail and put on some tennis shoes. You weren't really a fan of working out with shoes, but since this wasn't going to be inside, you had to wear something. You missed the freedom at your gym of being barefoot during your workout. Last thing you did was tie your hand wraps on your hands and throw your gloves over your shoulder. You tucked your phone, purse, and belongings into the bag and zipped it back up before heading out the way you came. 

You struggled to find the backyard, but once you did, you opened the door to find Undyne and Papyrus chatting with each other about what sounded like cooking lessons, while Alphys and Sans sat on a blanket nearby. They weren't saying much to each other, sitting there quietly and watching their respective monsters talking amongst each other. As soon as Undyne noticed you, she high-fived Papyrus.

"Alright! Now  **that's**  what I'm talking about! You ready, punk?!"

You nodded, but held up a hand first.

"Mind if I warm up a bit?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this next chapter, things will be a lot lighter. Friends and everything with the monsters and good times ahead. Of course, not all good times though. I can't promise there won't be angst (*lots of angst*) in the future.


	22. Things Get A Little Cozier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You show your skills to your new acquaintances. Then you have another heart-to-heart with some laughs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween, everybody! I know if you're doing something for this holiday it's either in full swing or already over. Whether you're binging scary movies, visiting haunted houses/attractions, getting tons of candy, or going to a Halloween party, make sure you guys stay safe and do so responsibly. Get a Lyft/Uber or walk home if you're drinking; nothing turns Halloween into a true nightmare if you don't make sure to plan. 
> 
> Have a safe and happy Halloween, everybody!

You stretched out back. Reach your hands down to your feet and wrap them around your calves. Ahh, that stretched your back well. Hold for about 30 seconds, then slowly uncoil your body up. Take another turn down, slowly dropping into a splits. Reach your hands forward as far as you could. Then put your legs together and curl your toes up, gripping them at the same time with your fingers. Bend together to do a butterfly stretch. Get back up halfway and take one hand around one calve, stretching. Same with the other side. You stand up fully now. Turn to one side holding your upper body sideways for 30 seconds, then turn to the other side. Lift up your feet with hands on opposite sides of your body. Right foot with left hand, left foot with right hand. 30 seconds with each. Jog in place for a few minutes, adjusting your handwraps on your wrist. Reach one arm behind your back and press down with your other hand. Again with the other arm. Stretch it across your body and again with the opposite. You got in your stance, taking a deep breath. 

You then practiced lightly with the dummy, throwing mini punches, jabs, crosses, roundhouses, side kicks, front kicks at it. Just some warm up before you showed Undyne what she wanted. At least you didn't have to hold back with a dummy like you did with people. 

"Enough practice! Let's do this, punk! Show me what you can do!"

You stared down the dummy, then closed your eyes. Another deep breath. A light film of sweat had started to coat your forehead, but you ignored it.

_Let's just get this over with, you weakling._

One swift roundhouse kick sent the dummy back about a foot. You breathed again and set your foot back on the ground. Undyne whistled loudly, Papyrus exclaiming excitedly about your fighting skills, and Alphys in a stunned silence. You noticed Sans hadn't said anything. You couldn't help looking over at him to see his reaction, only to see his eyesockets void of anything. In fact, they were completely black. You'd only seen that look once when you mentioned Papyrus. Hmm... Interesting, but a bit unsettling. 

Undyne broke you out of your trance.

"Geez! You're a lot tougher than I thought, punk! You might actually break one of my dummies!"

You blushed and frowned some.

"Oh! Shit, Undyne! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so rough with it... I just thought..." You scratched the back of your neck nervously, "Guess I didn't know my own strength, I'll tone it down..."

She slapped your back and you winced. Stars, she's strong. Definitely stronger than you.

"Oh no! I break them all the time! Poor Alph is always having to get more for me!"

Alphys waved anxiously and smiled slightly at you. Your brows knitted, but you quickly shook it off. 

"Let's see your arm strength then!"

You grinned sheepishly; you knew what you just did was the most impressive thing you could do.

"I'm not that strong with my arms, but I'll try..."

Undyne was cackling as she brought the previous dummy back within range. 

"Whatever, punk!  **Show me**!"

You squared your shoulders and got back into your stance. Your right arm was strongest. You positioned your left foot forward with your left hand forward as well. Cross punch through your right hand with all your body weight. 

Quick cross sent the dummy back a few inches this time. Definitely not as impressive. You sighed and thought to yourself,  **why did I show my most impressive one first?**

Undyne cackled and wrapped her arms around you, lifting you simultaneously. This reminded you a lot of Papyrus, which coincidently soon joined in with praises of your strength.

"WOWIE, HUMAN! THAT WAS VERY IMPRESSIVE! I DID NOT REALIZE YOUR KICKBOXING ATTACK WAS SO POWERFUL IN BATTLE!"

"Seriously, punk! I gotta learn this thing! TEACH US!"

You laughed lightly, though it was difficult with no air getting to your lungs. They both were providing a good block to your airway.

"Maybe... Put me down first..." You managed to choke out. 

They released you and you narrowly got your balance. You'd have to be better about catching yourself. You regained your breath and looked to them.

"You gotta try that on me, I wanna see the power first hand!"

"ME TOO! SHOW US, HUMAN APRIL!"

Your eyes widened and you quickly rose your hands in front of you, waving them nervously.

"Oh no! I-I can't! I'm not going to hit you guys! I'm only supposed to teach you!"

Undyne and Papyrus both frowned and gave you the puppy dog eyes. At least, that's what it looked like? Undyne only had one eye and even with this, she was still intimidating. Papyrus on the other hand was somehow adorable for being a skeleton with no actual lips to pout with or pupils to widen. You wanted to second guess your senses. 

"N-No! I'll show you guys, but that's it! No sparring or whatever you guys do!"

They both groaned, immediately turning off the puppy dog eyes. 

"Fiiiiinnnneeee... You're as bad as Frisk!"

Papyrus nodded and sighed.

"WELL... AT LEAST WE CAN STILL LEARN!"

You didn't question who Frisk was; maybe another time you would when you didn't have two giant monsters looming over you. You smiled with content and began to teach them.

"So first... You have to stand this way..."

* * *

 

You collapsed on the ground, sweat pouring down your forehead and thoroughly drenching your clothes. 2 straight hours of practicing, Undyne and Papyrus still sparring with each other to perfect their technique. Your breath labored as you wiped your forehead. Stars, you needed some water. You knew you had packed some in your bag... Which of course was inside.  You could barely lift yourself to get some water, your leg muscles whining each time you tried.

As if on cue, a skeletal hand presented a water bottle in front of your face. It was the bottle you had packed. You glanced up to see Sans standing there, lazy grin as always on his face. 

"you looked a little...  **watered down**."

You giggled at the joke, then heard Papyrus and Undyne groan at it. You patted the spot next to you and Sans welcomed himself to it. You downed the bottle in a matter of seconds, placing the bottle next to you as you gasped for air. 

"Hahh... That was so needed; thanks, dude."

He chuckled and leaned back on his hands. 

"you're not even gonna comment on the fact i took that from your bag?"

You laughed wholeheartedly. True, you were a little upset, but much too physically exhausted to give it much thought.

"I'm too tired to give a shit right now... They really took it out of me." Your breath calmed along with your heart a bit as you rested, "It wasn't like I had anything privacy protected in there anyway."

He smiled, turning to watch said duo still practicing about 15 feet away.

"you guys sure were going at it. about two hours worth."

You exhaled and leaned forward to massage your aching muscles. No doubt walking tomorrow would be extremely painful. You should've stretched more, or at least took it easier on yourself.

"Mmh... They were really enthusiastic about it. It's the least I can do with all the stuff you guys have done for me..."

His smile seemed a bit strained as he turned to you.

"what do you mean by that, buddy?"

You laughed; your exhaustion was making your lips looser than you'd like. Of course, being tired makes you more honest. You knew that. Sans sitting here was a bad idea.

"You and Undyne covering for me... Gotta repay the favor."

His smile twitched, a frown tainting the edges just slightly. You saw it in your peripheral. Any normal observer wouldn't be able to see it, but you could. Too much practice doing it yourself to not be able to see the little changes with somebody else.

"isn't that what friends do, though?"

You didn't dare face him fully, instead looking back at the two sparring still. How did they not get tired?

"I guess... I just don't like favors not being repaid for that long. Fairness and all that... 

An uncomfortable silence settled between you two. 

 

.

 

..

 

....

 

Then Sans spoke.

"well... you repaid undyne, i suppose. but how'd you repay me?"

You laughed and smiled slyly at him, glad you could explain. You didn't even have to say anything. You pointed over to Papyrus, who was eager and giddy as he fought with Undyne, landing a nice jab to the fish monster's ribs. The happiness on both his face and Undyne's was clear even from here. 

"I know Papyrus being happy must mean a lot to you, right? Couldn't think of much that would appease you other than giving you a shit ton of ketchup. Though the ketchup wouldn't be as good."

He didn't say anything to that. Just a few moments of silence before he burst into laughter. It was so loud and deep in his ribcage, he started to tear up and wiped the tears away. It was contagious, and you found yourself laughing along with him — though you weren't sure what was so funny. Your abdominals already hurt, so laughing hurt even more but you couldn't stop. Soon, you lost your breath again and clutched at your stomach, laughs breathlessly leaving your lips. You both guffawed uncontrollably as the two finally ceased their sparring and approached.

"SANS, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THE HUMAN?!" 

His eyes bulged as he fumed, probably thinking Sans had done this. He kind of did, but it was contagious laughter. His face made you laugh even harder and you fell forward, laughing and whimpering in pain at the same time. Your abs were going to kill you tomorrow.

"YOU BROKE HER! HOW COULD Y-!"

Undyne placed a hand in front of Papyrus to stop him. 

"Is this the first time I've seen Sans laugh so hard he's crying?"

You glanced over at Sans, who was clutching his ribcage still laughing as hard as can be. True to Undyne's words, he was still tearing up from the laughing. Was he laughing as genuinely as you were? You wiped your tears as you tried to regain your breath.

"WHY... I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT, UNDYNE! SANS!" Papyrus lifted his brother who was still in a fit of chuckles, "SANS! ARE YOU ACTUALLY LAUGHING!?"

Sans coughed some as he tried to even his breath as well. You wanted to ask how he even had to breathe being a skeleton, but the mood said now wasn't the right time. His lazy smile came back, but this happy inflection was behind it. He was  **actually**  smiling. The first time you had seen it for real.

"n-nah bro..." His voice was shallow and filled with little chuckles, "just had a contest with april... heh heh... it was a battle of  **giggles**..."

You snorted and laughed harder, thus sending Sans into more laughs. Papyrus promptly dropped Sans on top of you and you fell over. You both shook with laughter as the two taller monsters groaned, making their way inside. 

After about 10 minutes or so, you both slowed down as he rolled off of you to lay next to you as you clutched in pain at your stomach. You gasped for breath and exhaled. He did the same. You both sat in a comfortable silence until you broke the silence this time.

"I don't think I've laughed that hard in a while... Stars..."

"me neither..."

You smiled as you stared at the sky, the sun at the further side of the horizon but far from setting. It was blinding, but you didn't care.

"i really appreciate you making paps happy though. hope that didn't get lost in translation during our 'battle'."

You giggled some more at that and whined. Your abs hurt so bad. 

"It didn't. I figured that he means a lot to you. Least I could do, remember?"

He sighed.

"yeah... guess we're even now, buddy?"

You smiled at that. You liked that word, 'even'.

"We are."

Another comfortable silence... That is, until Papyrus yelled at you both to come inside. You both laughed, lighter and softer this time as you sat up.

"We should probably go inside before Papyrus gets upset."

You held your hand out to him and he took it. You quickly helped him up. He studied you for a second. His grin morphed into something mischievous.

"race you inside?"

You returned the sentiment with a smile of your own.

"Oh, you're on."

You both raced inside, though you swear he teleported. You looked to the side to see him gone. That familiar tingling of his magic tickled your skin as you ran. You turned forward to see him smiling back at you from the door. 

"Cheater!", you hollered at him.

He stuck his tongue out at you. It had a shade of cyan, like his magic. How did he produce a tongue? He was a skeleton! So many questions about monster anatomy you had because of this  **one skeleton**. 

**But** , you thought,  **I guess I have plenty of time to ask them in the future? I think I'll be spending a lot of time with these monsters from now on.**

The thought of him lying to you about the whole panic attack incident came to the forefront of your mind.

**Best to forget the things in the past. As hard as that'll be for me... He doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives. And he said it himself, we're even now, right?**

You growled as you reached the door, pushing him lightly out of the way. Your breathing labored a bit.

"Next time... No teleporting!"

He pushed you back.

"sure, next time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I was a total wimp about this chapter. I thought about having the reader spar with Undyne or Papyrus, but the reader is *mostly* all bark and no bite. She can handle herself but tries to avoid fighting if possible.


	23. Another Dream... Or Is It A Nightmare?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After training with Undyne and Papyrus, you collapse once you get home to have another 'dream'. Then you start fitting the puzzle pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I totally forgot about Alphys's dream and didn't notice until I uploaded the last chapter, which is now the next chapter. Confusing, I know. Anyway, I hope this dream is alright. It's a little sad, but uh, yeah. Not really in the mood to write nice, happy things.

_** It was dark. The air felt stale in your lungs as you breathed in and out. That same disoriented feeling as the world comes into focus around you. You're in some kind of laboratory. It looks run down, frayed wires, dust, and cobwebs are all around you. Even though you know this body isn't your own and this is just a memory, you can't help but feel your skin crawl being here. The whole place reeks of decay and no use, but the atmosphere is unsettling. Everything just seems like it hasn't been used in years, if not decades. You settle in for the ride of this memory. ** _

* * *

_**You're pacing back and forth, hands wringing themselves nervously in front of you. Your breath is shallow. You need to do this. You have to do this! They deserve it! You said you would! You-!** _

 

_**. ** _

 

_**.. ** _

 

_**... ** _

 

_** You stop and take a deep breath. A scaly hand reaches into your clothes — a stained lab coat — to pull out a cell phone. As you scroll through the contacts, a few stick out to you. You can feel your nerves are tense as you select one. Anxiety is thrumming through your soul and you try to regain your senses. You need to call them. It's...  Time . ** _

* * *

 

_** After a few awkward phone calls and nervous stuttering, preparations are complete to finish what you should've done to begin with. You've told them to meet you outside your laboratory as you get everything ready. You knew you should've told them from the start. All this time, you could've told them. Some were mad, but only because you didn't tell them what had happened. Not because of what happened or what you did. That was a relief. So many were happy they heard from you, regardless of what the news was. And you didn't expect that. All this time worrying over angry phone calls and monsters, all this time thinking about how you could fix this,  all this time spent fretting over nothing. ** _

 

_** You readjust the glasses on your nose and walk towards a room in the back of the lab. As you enter, you see two things further in. What looks to be a goopy monster with dog ears and strange dog or cat silhouettes on its torso is breathing oddly through a giant black hole on what you think is its face, it's body dripping along the floor as it shakes its tail. Another one is an odd mix of a fish tail holding up a muscular torso and arms with what you think looks like angry jello, its face covered in sharp teeth. It still unnerves you to look at these...  amalgamates , but they've been your only company in this dreary, abandoned laboratory. Even if they are disfigured or melting continuously, it doesn't matter. ** _

 

_** You walk up to them and readjust your glasses again. Your whole body is shaking, you're wringing your hands together. How do you tell them?  They get to leave now . No more hiding your failures, it's time to own up to your mistakes. You take a deep breath to calm yourself as the dog monster hybrid runs up to you, tail wagging furiously as heavy breaths escape that black abyss of a mouth. The fish-jello mess comes slithering up as well, arms flexing themselves despite the host of said arms gone a long time ago. A feeling of dread looms over you as you direct them to follow behind, not saying anything but turning around and motioning with your hands. You can hear them following after, making sounds you've grown used to hearing towards each other. You don't understand, but you can only guess it's confusion as you find more of those amalgamates in various rooms. ** _

 

_** One seems like a bird monster, but with weird worm-like growths. Its whole body is constantly dripping, oozing it's slime as it follows behind you with shaky, awkward steps as well once you find it. You hear what sounds like tiny feet pitter-pattering as another monster hybrid approaches with a few others. The tallest one, another strange bird-like monster with what looks like smaller bat type monsters where its arms should be. One large eye stares you down as it's head goes from side to side. You can feel sweat trailing down your forehead and you dab it away with your sleeve. A few different worm type monsters are standing next to the tallest bird monster, hissing and croaking as they get closer to you. Even with these, you don't understand what they're saying. ** _

 

_** You guide them to the entrance of this place. This dark, cold, stale air pulls at your lungs as you try to keep your mind focused on your next task. The door stands in front of you. Its metal reminds you of all those times you went down here to hide from your sins. All your failures... All your mistakes... When everything was going great, you couldn't stop yourself from coming down here every chance you could. Sleepless nights of anxiousness, but positivity. Everything was going upwards until... You don't want to think of that day. Everything... Went downhill so quickly. You couldn't understand what was happening, it was all so  fast . Too much happening, too much to process, too much to write down... Too much...  Screaming . Then... ** _

_** ** _

_** Silence . ** _

 

_**. ** _

 

_**.. ** _

 

_**... ** _

 

_** Nevertheless, you swallow again and clear your throat. Here they all are. Here is their freedom. You take a few moments to collect yourself. What do you tell them? Will they even understand you? Does it even matter? ** _

 

_** Your hands clench together and you turn to them. Confusion is universal regardless of their morphed anatomy. You can see each of them studying you, the door, the sounds, the light peering underneath it. ** _

 

_** This is it. ** _

 

_** "I-I-I... How should I say this?... U-Uh.... W-Well-" ** _

 

_** You cough again, your natural nerves getting to you.  Enough . ** _

 

_** "Y-You all... Can leave. Your families... They miss you." ** _

 

_** You reach towards the door panel, the scanner only able to be opened by you. It recognizes only your handprint, although, with its residents and their... current physical states, they couldn't open the door even if they wanted to. ** _

 

_** Too many nights hearing them howling, clawing, scratching, crying at this door. You can see the marks from years of wear, but it somehow survived it all. ** _

 

_** You drive those thoughts from your mind and the door slides open. You move away and motion for them to move forward. But... They stand there. They look at each other, not moving an inch closer to their freedom. ** _

 

_** "You a-all... Y-You can leave! Don't you w-w-want to see y-your families?" ** _

 

_** They all seem to startle at your sense of urgency. After a few minutes of waiting, they finally move. One takes a step forward, the dripping bird monster. It talks in a jumbled mess before taking another step towards the light of your lab. After that one leaves, the snake jello one goes next flexing as they make their way out. Slowly, each and every one leaves. You follow them out, but don't go all the way to the entrance door. You watch as they make it there and look back at you one more time before the door slides open to reveal crying and sobbing monsters on the other side. Embraces and cries of joy echo in your lab and you go to shut the front door. The sound makes your insides turn uncomfortably and you can't listen to it any longer. As you reach to shut it, a monster grasps your shoulders with the widest smile you've ever seen. ** _

 

_** "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" ** _

 

_** You don't know what to say, stuttering a jumbled mess of what you think is words as they embrace you in a hug then run off to their now whole again family. A tear escapes your eye and you shut the door to allow yourself time to process everything. ** _

 

_** All this time... You should've done the right thing. You know that now. You can't help the unsettling warmth growing in your chest. They were right; you're glad you listened to them. ** _

* * *

You jolt awake and sit up slowly, trying to get your bearings. Your hands rub your eyes and run themselves through your hair; your body leans over to sag against itself. These dreams aren't getting any better to wake up from. Your head is still reeling as it processes everything.

 

As though on instinct, you pull out your note full of these dreams. You write the whole experience down and shut your phone off, putting it back on your nightstand. It's been about an hour or so since you woke up. You can't fall back asleep... those images of what you say in your dreams are still there in your mind. Those things... A word comes to mind and you're not sure why that one word seems to fit.

 

** Amalgamates ** .

 

You look it up online and see the different synonyms for it. Merge, unite, fuse, meld. You think back on it and can't help thinking those things were... Dripping. Like they were almost, maybe melting... The thought of something, or even somebody, 'dripping' has you shiver involuntarily and you rub your eyes again. You feel sick, your stomach is churning even though you haven't eaten anything since 8 pm the night before. You rub your stomach.

 

"Ugh... I hate this..."

 

You lay back down and take a deep breath. The air fills your lungs, its fresh unlike the air from your dream. Never mind. You breathe out. You need to forget that awful dream. It has your stomach doing flips. Maybe some water might help you feel a little better. Getting out of bed, you go to the kitchen and grab a bottled water. It's gone in seconds. You gasp for air and go back to your room, laying back down.

 

You want to go over all the dreams again. You've had 4 now. First Sans, then Papyrus, then Undyne, then... You assume Alphys. What even was that memory? Why would she even want to be somewhere like that place? It was so dark and cold, just the reminder has fear creeping up your nerves. So much blackness...

 

You curl up in your sheets. All these memories make your head hurt. Groaning, you close your eyes and take another deep breath.

 

Alright, focus. All the dreams mentioned somebody... Like a third party. It could've been somebody else every time. But... For some reason, you don't feel like it is. Something in your mind is telling you that it was all one person, but no name comes to mind...

 

Maybe you'll meet them. One day.

 

You just hope that it's not the 'person' from Sans's dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we go. I'll try to upload some more in the future. Just... Had a little trouble finding some motivation for writing lately. 
> 
> Midnight out.


	24. Sans Sees The 'Real' You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So you're not normal, but Sans knew that already. Just... Maybe this wasn't what he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been forever since I've posted towards this story, and I'm really sorry about that. I've just... Lost some motivation to keep this going. I write and I scrap everything, it's frustrating and annoying, but... I'll keep pushing myself if you guys like this worthless story. *sigh* I haven't gotten to the fun parts of the story and I'm already losing my momentum. Ugh... Anyway, enjoy this chapter, guys. Cheers.

So you weren't the typical woman. Well, not to him at least. He had been texting you ever since your training with his brother and Undyne weeks ago, and tried being polite with you. Emphasis on  **tried**. He knew how to treat a woman but... You were crude, blunt, and overly sexual to be honest. Sans thought he was bad, but you were on a whole other level. You didn't start off that way, but as the days went by, more and more of that came across. You would joke about all kinds of things and almost everything he said you would turn into something sex related. It was like that was the only thing on your mind. That made him laugh. 

 

You didn't seem like you were all that confident, but as he talked to you more... Well, let's just say looks can be deceiving. It was more of a false confidence than anything, but you still acted like a smart ass whenever you could. You probably suffered from depression, which would make sense considering the times he had seen you 'not so cheerful'. The panic attacks were a side effect he knew all too well considering his own mental demons. The whole timeline from that one 'dream' you had talked about left him with an awful amount of PSTD that he couldn't shake and sometimes a panic attack or a nightmare would get the better of him. 

 

Surprisingly, you both had that in common. Though, he wouldn't tell you that of course. Not yet anyway...

 

He was texting you one day and chuckling at your responses.

 

.

 

..

 

...

 

Sans:  **so tell me april, how com u dun act lik normal women?**

 

You:  **Psh, that's because women are stupid and dramatic. Why the hell would I wanna be like that? Lol.**

 

_pfft, seriously? that's her reasoning?_

 

Sans:  **but i tink women r sweet... u dun lik ben sweet?**

 

You:  **Sans, the only reason women are sweet is because they want something from you.**

 

Sans:  **so dey uz me?**

 

You:  **Well, if you put it bluntly, yes.**

 

_can't say her logic is flawed._

 

Sans:  **so y r u so crude den? u act awfully rude sumtims**

 

You:  **Oh, don't be such a pussy, Sans.**

 

_...did she just call me a pussy?_

 

Sans:  **did u jus call me wut i tink u did?**

 

You:  **Call it like I see it. ;)**

 

You:  **I don't do it to purposely hurt anybody's feelings. If you take offense to me, then you aren't worth my time in the first place.**

 

_wow... so she just doesn't care then?_

 

Sans:  **so u jus dun care wut other ppl tink of u?**

 

You didn't reply for a few minutes. Maybe he said something he shouldn't have? He was about to reply an apology when you texted back.

 

You:  **Look, Sans, I’ll be honest with you. I've spent a lot of my life being sweet and dainty, hoping other people will like me.... It just doesn't work. If you don't get the results you want from one method, why not try something different? I'm a firm believer in trial and error. I've had a lot of people tell me how being nice will get me things and whatever. And maybe they're right... But my theory is, if you can't handle me at my worst, then why should you have me at my best? Even though that sounds super hipster and snobby as hell lol.**

 

_huh... i guess you can't say she isn't different. i don't think i've ever heard **that**  before. i wonder how come she thinks that way?_

 

Sans:  **i gues dat's an intrstn way 2 look @ it**

 

You:  **Sans, you can treat me like another bro. I act so much like a guy, it's a mystery why I wasn't born with a penis sometimes...**

 

You: **I guess 'cause then I'd wanna suck my own dick lol**

 

He literally laughed out loud at that one. 

 

_oh my fucking stars! did she just say she'd wanna give herself head?!_

 

Sans:  **oh my god, april! wut d fuck?!**

 

You:  **Lol, I love dick, dude. Don't judge me!**

 

_she is the weirdest girl i've ever met... i think i like the change of pace though. maybe i don't have to tread so lightly with her?_

 

Sans:  **well, i luv pussy so i gues we're evn lol**

 

You:  **Wait, how does sex with skeletons even work?**

 

_she's seriously asking about my sex life... this is a real conversation we're having right now._

 

Sans:  **y do u wanna no?**

 

You:  **You're a skeleton. How do skeletons even have sex? You guys are just bones, right?**

 

_i feel like i should be taking offense to this..._

 

Sans:  **i'm magic. i cn jus conjure up wuteva parts i wnt.**

 

You:  **Wait, really?! Like, you can make them appear and disappear?!**

 

_heh, if she wasn't so innocently curious about this, i think i would actually take offense..._

 

Sans:  **yeah, @ least i cn anyway. most monsters cn tho**

 

You:  **But what about pregnancy? Do you guys have monster condoms or birth control?**

 

Sans:  **haha, no! well, dey cn f dey want, but it doesn't do nething. monsters hav 2 consent 2 havn a baby & it's simply a magic-based tng w/ der souls**

 

You:  **So you guys can like, cum and stuff inside each other? I mean, do you guys even have cum?**

 

Sans couldn't stop laughing. Tears were coming from his eyes and he wiped them away. He was really having a legitimate talk with you about monster reproduction. 

 

_this is a first._

 

Sans:  **i can't spk 4 all monsters, but i cn cum f dat's wut u mean. it doesn't do anything unless i & whoever i'm slepn w/ wnt it 2 **

 

You:  **Duuude, how many times have you gotten laid? You talk like you're a pro or something!**

 

Sans:  **i've had my fair share of prtnrs. wut bout u?**

 

_why am i telling her this?_

 

You:  **Ehhh... Only with one guy, and he sucked hardcore. Definitely didn't know how to use what he had or please a women if you catch my drift.**

 

The skeleton couldn't stop bursting into more laughter. You were fucking merciless. He better watch himself if he slept with you in case you talked about him like this.

 

...He paused.

 

_why would i think of sleeping with her? there's no way that'll happen. besides, she's..._

 

He shook his head.

 

_she's not my type anyway._

 

Sans:  **damn, aren't u sposd 2 not talk shit bout guys u slp w/?**

 

You:  **Well, he sucked. It's not like all men suck, just him. If a guy could please me in bed, you bet your ass I'd totally brag about it.**

 

You:  **You ever have any good partners?**

 

_she sure is curious, huh?_

 

Sans:  **maybe... ;)**

 

You:  **Aww, don't be such a tease. You tryin' to pull a humble brag?**

 

Sans:  **so wut f i am?**  

 

You:  **Now I'll be stuck wondering how good you are in bed... Oh well.**

 

Sans felt his cheeks flush a little. 

 

_is... is she hitting on me?_

 

You:  **Anyway, I don't mean to be pushy about this. You curious about anything sex wise with humans? I owe you for asking so many questions about monster sex, and you're definitely talking to the right woman for the job.**

 

Sans sat there staring at your text. Seriously, it was sounding more and more like you wanted to sleep with him. But... He thought if you were willing to tell him some information about sex with humans, then maybe... 

 

Sans:  **aight. so humans cn get pregnant f der prtnr cums inside dem, rite?**

 

_this is purely for scientific research. it's not because i wanna know or anything._

 

You:  **Sadly, yeah. I always made sure my ex wore a condom and I was on birth control so I didn't get pregnant.**

 

Sans:  **dun women usually wnt 2 get pregnant?**

 

You:  **You’ve met one of the only ones who doesn’t. I don’t do kids.**

 

_'don't do kids'? what is that supposed to mean? guess she's not a fan... not like i am either, but still._

 

Sans:  **well aight... sinz humans dun hav magic, how do dey get off? i'd tink sex w/o magic is borin**

 

You:  **They're toys and things so that makes it more fun. I suppose sex with a monster would be more intimate and awesome than anything manmade.**

 

_seriously?... humans are weird._

 

Before he could chase it away, a thought came to his mind and through his fingers.

 

_i wonder if she has any toys?_

 

Sans:  **lik wut? u got ne toys?**

 

He immediately tried to rectify his mistake.

 

Sans: **lol jk**

 

You:  **Lol! Awfully nosey, aren't you? ;)**

 

You: **If you must know, I do have some basic ones. Like a vibrator and such.**

 

He felt his cheekbones flush again. Scientific research, he told himself, this was just about scientific research...

 

_more like i guess i'm just curious like her._

 

Sans:  **wut do u use dem 4?**

 

You:  **Helps with those lonely nights, ya know? :p**

 

Alright, this is enough. He felt his magic coursing through his bones. All this talk of sex was turning him on. He needed to stop this before it went any further.

 

Sans:  **dis has ben a fun talk, but i should prob go. paps iz callin me**

 

You:  **Ah, alright, dude. Talk to you later, Sans.**

 

Sans:  **cya april**

 

He pulled up the hood of his jacket and sighed. Stars, his magic was going haywire. He silently chided himself for letting you start a conversation about sex and going along with it. He could've stopped it... But just like you were curious about monsters, he was curious about humans. 

 

There were so many unknowns about it, since humans weren't so much in touch with magic like monsters were. Would something like sex differ? He assumed it would since monsters can call upon each other's souls and it was more of a magical than physical thing in most cases. Monsters could still do the physical, but it didn't provide any more stimulation than messing around with another's soul and could be a lot messier to clean up. Not that he didn't enjoy a mess sometimes, but still. Souls were an easier way of getting off; you only had to be careful not to 'cross the streams' if that made sense. 

 

The blush on his cheekbones faded away and he took a deep breath. Just relax. He scrolled through the conversation and the others before it. You had to be an overly flirtatious person since almost every other line seemed to ooze some tantalizing sentiment. You barely knew him and he was a monster... A skeleton even! Not that he wasn't confident in his charms, but... Anyway, he chalked up your nature to sensually disguised curiosity. 

 

On another thought, you seemed genuine about the whole bro thing. He figured he would take you up on that. 

 

He made his way back up to his room and scrolled some notes about you into an unmarked spiral. He had started this after he found that research paper, writing little things about you down that he thought might have something to do with what he was searching for... To explain why you didn't have LV or EXP levels.

 

_just to keep track..._

 

He was still observing you, but noticed his notes had gotten less critical and more sentimental as time went by. It didn't matter, as long as he recorded your actions that's what mattered. He hadn't forgotten his original goal; to discover if you were a human with magical ancestry and could possibly cause glitches in this timeline. As he scribbled the thoughts down, guilt stung viciously at his soul.

 

_i'm not doing anything i didn't already understand the complications for. this is for... science. i need to do this..._

 

He clenched his pen.

 

_i **have**  to do this. to keep paps and the rest of monsterkind  **safe**..._

 

His teeth ground together and he put his utensil down.

 

_i don't want paps to lose this... he's so happy. and toriel, undyne, alphys, asgore... i don't want it all to **start over**._

 

He sighed. That was enough for tonight. He crawled into his bed, yawning at the empty room around him. His eye glowed cyan as he closed the journal and hid it among the socks in his sock drawer. He found himself getting more attached to you which scared him. You thought so much like him, it would be frightening if he wasn't so numb to it all. He was finding himself wanting more and more to be your friend. 

 

He rolled over and gripped his pillow. 

 

_that's enough thinking. time to be a lazy bones and sleep._

 

With that, he slowly drifted off with the help of the sandman. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> April is... Weird. We'll just leave it at that, I guess. I'll expand on this idea more in the next chapter, just to give you guys context... IF I can find the words to write it. Everything I've written lately is just total shit, lol. *sigh* FML.


	25. You Get A Nickname

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You continue getting a little closer to Sans, at least you think you do. And maybe he gets a little closer to you, too.

You had been texting Sans quite a bit after the whole training thing with Undyne and Papyrus; more than most of your coworkers and friends even. After that initial awkwardness, just on your part, you feel like he was a pretty cool guy. He was so easy to talk to, and his jokes made the conversation flow naturally between you two. Even if you didn't text much, you actually liked talking to him. Almost every chance you had, you would send him a random text. A 'What's up?' or 'What are you up to?' usually. He would send you little jokes which helped with the nightmares and made them a little better when you woke up. There was always a little something there to ease you through the fear. Maybe he could sense your distress? That was highly unlikely, but you hoped that that's what it was. He was like the guy friend you always wanted. Chill and laid back, wasn't grossed out or offended by you, and even made stupid jokes with you. All and all, he was a pretty cool guy. 

 

You had just gotten off work and were relaxing at home, texting back and forth with him a few times each hour. You were really into a game of Katamari and it was preoccupying your time. 

 

Sans: **so april?**

 

You: **Mmh?**

 

Sans: **mind f i giv u a nickname?**

 

You giggled; what kind of nickname did he have in mind?

 

You: **Only if I can give you one.**

 

Sans: **that's fair**

 

Sans **:** **i wz thinkin' angel**

 

You guffawed aloud. Angel? Seriously? Where did he come up with that?

 

You: **Why Angel?**

 

Sans: **cuz** **u're so angelic ;)**

 

You: **Dude, you're so weird! Alright, fine, even though we both know I'm the dirtiest person ever.**

 

Sans: **aww, u're not dat bad...**

 

Suuuuure, whatever he wants to tell himself. You were worse than most of your guy coworkers. Sex was always on your mind and almost anything anybody ever told you you could turn sexual at the drop of a hat. 

 

Sans: **sooooo... wut's myn gonna b?**

 

You thought to yourself. You weren't really good at coming up with nicknames; you were too simple minded in that department. The only ones that could come to mind would be Sansy or...

 

You: **How about Bones?**

 

Sans: **srsly? not very creative, but i'll tak it. so angel & bones, huh?**

 

You smiled to yourself. 

 

You: **Yeah. I like it. I mean I could call you devil or something if you wanna be twins.**

 

Sans: **nah, i lik bones. i lik it a skele-ton**

 

You laughed to yourself, turning off your game and laying back in bed. You saw that it was about 2:37 am.

 

You: **It's getting pretty late. Don't you have something to do tomorrow, Sans?**

 

Sans: **ehhh... i dun slp well anyways so i'll prob b up 4 a while**

 

So he didn't sleep well either? Maybe he had insomnia and nightmares like you did. 

 

You: **Oh, okay... Well, I think I'm gonna try and go to sleep myself. I'll text you tomorrow?**

 

Sans: **sur, ttyl**

 

You laid back in bed and yawned, drowsiness slowly overtaking you. You closed your eyes. You hoped Sans could get some sleep. Maybe he was doing some work or something and that would tire him out. You knew how nightmares and insomnia made the thought of sleep completely unappetizing and exhausting. 

 

_You sure think about him a lot lately, don't you? You don't even know him that well and haven't even been talking to him that long. Why do you care about him so much? Did you forget he lied to you a while back?_

 

You sighed. You had agreed to forget about that. It didn't harm anything and he didn't seem like he was gonna hold it over your head like some favor you owed him. He hadn't even mentioned anything about your panic attacks after that, no morbid curiosity or bullying. He seemed to treat it as though it wasn't any of his business and you were thankful for that. You could forgive one lie if it meant you had your privacy about your mental state.

 

And you weren't really sure why you cared so much about him; he was a nice guy. Your natural motherly instincts made it impossible not to care about others; human or monster, asshole or not. You wanted people who were good to receive good things, yet they always got the shittiest deal. 

 

_You like him, don't you?_

 

You scoffed. Was she serious? Just because you cared about somebody did not make that an automatic crush, regardless of how close he was to your ideal type of guy. You resigned yourself to the forever single's life years ago, and that's how it would stay no matter what. Even if you did like him, you would squash those feelings away in a heart beat before they could grow into something uncontrollable. That's what you had done ever since your last 'crush'.

 

_Whatever. Don't regret it when you end up falling for this ridiculous skeleton._

 

You grumbled under your breath and closed your eyes. You should try and sleep. One deep breath before the darkness of slumber closed in on you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, it's been an unintentional hiatus with this thing. Not really for lack of writing or anything. I have tons written, 300+ more pages. It's just... Complicated life stuff. I won't go into details, but it's just been rough. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed.


	26. Late Night Shenanigans Over The Phone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another nightmare leaves you unable to sleep, so you give a certain monster a call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in a little over a week. Super productive, me... Wooh. Anyway, can't guarantee that it'll stay like this for the next month or so. I have a paper to write, final to study for, and then family to entertain. So, it's gonna be a bit hectic for me. Plus I got into a fight lately and I'm just... Ugh. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy guys.

You bolted awake from yet another nightmare, clutching your chest and gasping for air that couldn't come to you. Blood coursed through your veins and you groaned at the speed; it almost made you dizzy from the head rush. Your eyes shut as you pushed away the feeling creeping over your senses. That familiar, frightening feeling of dread had washed over you. The nightmare played over and over, your eyelids acting like a screen to display it for your conscious mind to process and watch. You opened them, the fear only growing with each replay. You took a hand to your forehead, wiping away the sweat that had pooled there from your slumber — or lack thereof. Honestly, your nightmares hadn't really gotten better, but at least they hadn't gotten worse. You reached for your phone with breath finally making its way to your lungs. Graciously accept the deep gulp of air, your racing heart slowing. Another one. Just slowing down to a regular pace. Your breathing was back to normal as well, and you stared absentmindedly at the screen. 

 

You saw a text from Sans at about 1:15 am; only about an hour or so old since your phone showed 2:47 am. You bit your lip, but you needed the distraction. You weren't sure if he'd be awake, but it was a long shot. You knew he didn't sleep well either, so luckily he was in the same boat you were right now. You didn't even realize when you had pressed the call button in his contact information and heard the phone ring.

 

Ring... Ring...... Ri–

 

"....hello?"

 

His voice was raspy from either sleep or no use, you weren't sure. It was also an octave lower than usual... Huh. You considered hanging up before he called out again.

 

"april?... what's up?" A slight rustling in the background that sounded like papers or sheets, "what're you doing up at this hour?"

 

You could barely mumble out, your own voice groggy from screaming. 

 

"I uh... I couldn't sleep..." You paused, "Did I wake you?"

 

Broken chuckling reverberated through the receiver. Something about his sleepy voice was so different; it was interesting. 

 

"heh, i wasn't snoozing too hard yet."

 

A guilty pang thrummed in your chest as you curled up in your legs, holding your phone against your ear as you laid the side of your face against them. 

 

"Sorry... I just... I need a distraction, I guess."

 

It was quiet on the other end of the line, and you almost spoke up fearing he had fallen back asleep on you.

 

"...you alright, angel?"

 

You sighed.

 

"Yeah... Can you indulge me for a little bit?"

 

More shuffling on the other line. It sounded like he had sat up wherever he was. 

 

"as long as you don't **put me to sleep**."

 

You giggled then heard that chuckling join your voice. Something about it was soothing to you and you put him on speaker as you googled something.

 

"I can't promise that, but I do have a fun question game for you... If you're up for it."

 

You could practically hear the smile in his voice.

 

"bring it on."

 

You pulled up the site. Quickly read the title; 36 Questions to Fall in Love. You smiled to yourself. You had never done this with a stranger as they did in the research. Well, Sans wasn't a stranger per se, it was just... You always did it with good friends — Vicki and Elizabeth specifically — and family; your step-mother Janet and your cousin Becka. It was a research project that took major interest in your life, considering how you felt about the topic of love, its implications on life, and its definitions throughout history. The concept made no sense logically, so this research took it a step into the rational direction and tried to break down the components of how and why we feel love towards someone else. You would finally be able to test it yourself. That unease from your nightmare melted away. 

 

"So I'm going to preface this with two rules. If you feel uncomfortable answering anything — no matter what it is — just answer 'classified'. And don't break down the questions either; answer the first thing that comes to your mind." You figured that would sum up a majority of the turmoil you might get from previous experiences with this game, "Other than that, answer 100% honestly, okay?"

 

Silence echoed through the phone...

 

_Haha, way to scare him away!_

 

Before you heard his voice. 

 

"alright, i think i can do that."

 

She growled as you scrolled to the first set, on to the first question.

 

• **Given the choice of anyone in the world, who would you want as a dinner guest?**

 

"I'll go first... I'm a little dorky, but I'd probably have to go with Markiplier."

 

Snickering buzzed through into your ears.

 

"seriously? why him?"

 

You blushed and gripped at your legs.

 

"I–" you mumbled, "I just have a little celebrity crush is all..."

 

More snickering. Your face was on fire.

 

"Alright, jerk face, your turn."

 

Some more snickering before silence. 

 

"i'd have to go with schrödinger."

 

That was the guy behind... Schrödinger's cat, right? Did that mean he was interested in the possibility of multiple universes and outcomes? ...Huh. 

 

"Okay, cool. He's a pretty good choice."

 

• **Would you like to be famous? In what way?**

 

"I would, but not publicly. I always wanted to be a famous writer under a pseudonym..."

 

His voice was almost a snarl.

 

"not in a million years, for any reason."

 

You wondered why he was so hostile about that question. Maybe it had to do with that Underground star that was popular. 

 

• **Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?**

 

"I personally don't; I think about the rough details, but I always end up talking about something else."

 

"nah, i'm too lazy for that. but i don't usually call people either."

 

• **What would constitute a 'perfect' day for you?**

 

"Mine would be sitting alone on the beach feeling the water against my feet with my pups until night where I could just lay back and watch the moon till morning."

 

"probably spend the day doing whatever papa wanted. doesn't really matter what, just whatever makes him happy. that or sleeping all day without a care in the world and watching netflix or something. maybe have hotdogs or ketchup delivered to my room express style."

 

• **When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?**

 

"I don't sing for people, but I sing to myself all the time."

 

"not much of a singer. more of a listener."

 

You smiled a little. You always liked this next question.

 

"This one gets a little philosophical..."

 

• **If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?**

 

"I'm kind of torn on this one, only because I want to travel till my 60's or 70's and want to remember everything... So I can't really decide."

 

He was quiet for a few moments.

 

"i'd want the mind. i'm already skin and bones, so not much to get old that isn't already, heh."

 

"Fair enough..." 

 

You paused as you read the next one.

 

"You uh... You're game to use that classified on this one..." 

 

You cleared your throat.

 

• **Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?**

 

It was dead silent on the other side of your phone, not even breathing or movement. Just silence.

 

"Ahem... Y-You don't have to answer. I uhm... I'll probably die in my sleep or something. That's how I hope I go anyway..."

 

"...in a fight."

 

You jumped, dropping your phone at the sudden sound of his voice. The tone of it... Well, it frightened you slightly. You took a deep breath and grabbed at your phone.

 

"O-Oh... Well, n-next question..."

 

• **Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.**

 

A little lighter topic, _thank the stars_. 

 

"Uhm... We both smile a lot, we both like hoodies, and we both are kinda short, yeah?"

 

He chuckled. The sound of it calmed your heart.

 

"you're a funny one, heh. mmmh... we both seem to like the color blue, we both laugh at each other, and we both like papyrus."

 

"Haha, yeah. That leads to my next question."

 

• **What in your life do you feel most grateful?**

 

"I would probably say my dad... He's done so much for me. I wouldn't be here without him."

 

"heh, i'd say papyrus. he's my bro and he's always been there."

 

You glanced at the next two questions and decided against them. Maybe another time you would ask him, but you weren't too excited to share how your childhood or life was. At least not for a while anyway.

 

• **If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?**

 

"Honestly, I'd want the power to see destiny. If there even is such a thing... Just, be able to see the future in a sense I guess, but not just my own. Heh... It's a little hard to explain."

 

"it's alright, angel. i get it. i'd uh... want to control time. make it stop so i could sleep all the time."

 

"Pssh, you're supposed to have real answers, but alright."

 

• **If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?**

 

"I'd wanna know my future... If I get to go do all the things that I want to do, you know? I wanna see the world, and I'd love to know if I get to do that."

 

"...the one thing i wanted to know, i already know so maybe if i find out the secrets of the universe."

 

You snickered. You knew that was just a deflection from the real thing. He was the worst, but at least he was trying.

 

• **Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?**

 

"I always wanted to write a book. I just don't have the attention span to do it. I can never be interested in something long enough."

 

"uh..." He cleared his throat, "i always wanted to go to the planetarium. never have the energy though."

 

A big smile came to your face and you rose your voice. 

 

"Oh! Dude, we should totally go! We could go with Papyrus! I bet he'd love to see the stars and planets there!"

 

You heard chuckling on the other side.

 

"i don't think stars are his thing. might be a little boring and scientific for him."

 

"Aww, but the stars are so cool! I'll convince him... We'll all go together."

 

A pleased hum echoed through the receiver.

 

• **What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?**

 

"I'm only 22 so I don't think I can say anything... The only thing that comes to mind is when I went to Disneyworld by myself a couple years ago. But that's only so far."

 

"you went to disneyworld by yourself? isn't that an amusement park for families?"

 

"Well, yeah! ...But I liked going by myself, it was super fun."

 

"heh, alright. fair enough. my accomplishment would be making it to the surface. though that was more the kid than anyone."

 

"Hmm..." You paused and smiled, "I'm glad you made it to the surface too."

 

• **What do you value most in a friendship?**

 

"I value honesty. I feel like if you're really my friend, you'll be upfront and honest with me about things. I just don't like people hiding things from me, and nothing is that bad you have to hide it from me in my opinion."

 

There was silence through the receiver and you turned your lips in a frown, your brows furrowing in confusion.

 

"Sans, you still there?"

 

A little more silence.

 

"...yeah, i'm here."

 

He sighed and you undid your brows a little.

 

"i value loyalty. i think if you're my friend, you would honor your agreements with me and do what's best for the both of us."

 

Your smile came back.

 

"That's a pretty good one. I value that too."

 

• **What is your most treasured memory?**

 

"It's silly, but I don't really have one. I guess my trip to Disney since I haven't done much. It was the first time I went or did anything without my parents having an input. It was... Liberating."

 

A soft chuckle rung in your ears.

 

"hmm... i guess either when papyrus was born or when we made it to the surface. both were pretty good, but it's hard to choose between them."

 

"Aww, you're getting so mushy on me, dude."

 

An irritated, but playful hum.

 

"heh, shut up, angel."

 

• **If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?**

 

"Uhm... Well. I'd probably take out a bunch of credit cards and rake up a bunch of debt traveling the world. Then spend time with my family before I die. I only hold off because I'm too broke to travel at this stage of my life."

 

He burst into laughter.

 

"Hey, don't laugh! I could see the world without worrying about money then!"

 

The laughing died down a little.

 

"hahaha, alright, alright. well i would just go on a ketchup drinking spree and then spend all my time cracking puns with papyrus..."

 

You felt a solemn atmosphere set in.

 

"i'd want to spend as much time with him as i could."

 

• **What does friendship mean to you?**

 

"This question is somewhat repetitive, but friendship to me means you're willing to tell me when I fuck up, or if I said something wrong to my face. You can be 100% honest with me and vice versa without getting offended by what I say. Plus you can know I won't be offended by most of what you say, and if I am, I'll say so. And I guess that you know what's said between us stays between us."

 

He was quiet again. You cleared your throat.

 

"Uh... Sans?"

 

Just silence. You didn't hear any breathing, so he couldn't be asleep, right?

 

"You didn't fall asleep on me, did you?"

 

"...no, i'm still here. just thinkin' what about what it means to me."

 

You were quiet as you waited for him to answer.

 

"honesty and loyalty... like i said before. if something happens, you'll do the best thing for the both of us. even if sometimes that's not always the best thing for you. you can care about more than yourself, and be able to put others first sometimes."

 

You hummed. That was a good answer. He cares more about fairness then. That's good to know.

 

• **What roles do love and affection play in your life?**

 

You laughed awkwardly.

 

"I don't really do affection much. I give hugs and stuff if you need them, but it's not really my thing. And uhm... The other thing," You swallowed, "I don't really love anybody outside my family. Relationships and whatever aren't my thing."

 

His tone was playful.

 

"what's that supposed to mean?"

 

You tried to laugh it off. It didn't come across so well.

 

"It's just not for me, dude. Your turn."

 

"i'd say the same, but relationships are too much work for me. you know, being lazy and all."

 

That made you giggle a bit. At least he took away the tension.

 

• **Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items.**

 

"Uhm... Oh stars, let's see." You held up your hand and lifted a finger with each item, "You're pretty funny, you're a good brother, you're not all that lazy, you're really smart, and you have great fashion sense."

 

He laughed loudly into the receiver and you laughed along. You supposed what you said was pretty silly, especially that last one, but it was true. Even though it was the lazy man's guide to clothes, it at least matched somewhat and looked super comfy.

 

"alright, alright," He calmed down and cleared his throat, "you love animals, you've got a good sense of humor, uh... you're a good cook, you're a hard worker, and you're pretty handy with your fists."

 

You chuckled. He must be referring to your breakfast burritos and when you taught Undyne and Papyrus kickboxing. You wouldn't really consider those positive characteristics, but hey, it was nice to know what he thought. That was what you liked about this question anyway.

 

• **Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling..."**

 

"Well, one is that we're not actually in the same room, but uh... We both are learning things about each other, we both are up when we should be sleeping, and we both probably feel vulnerable right now."

 

He sighed.

 

"yeah, that's true. we uh, we're both tired, we both are probably enjoying this question game thing, and we're both in this conversation because i actually answered the phone for once."

 

You smiled softly to yourself.

 

"Thanks for that, Bones..."

 

"no prob, angel."

 

• **Complete this sentence: “I wish I had someone with whom I could share..."**

 

"Everything with without judgment. I can get so... anxious sharing stuff with people. If I could find somebody who would **really** keep everything we talk about between us then... I'd like that. But that's unrealistic."

 

"nah, i wouldn't say that's unrealistic, just... rare. i'd want somebody like that too. if I had that, maybe life wouldn't be so exhausting..."

 

You both were silent for a minute. You wanted to ask, but you were scared. Would he even want to? With a weird human like you?

 

Only one way to find out.

 

"Maybe... We could, you know... Be that person for each other?"

 

He didn't say anything for what felt like an eternity. You swallowed nervously and cleared your throat again. Your voice was shaky.

 

"Y-You know, that was a stupid thing to say. We hardly know each other, j-just forget I asked, heh..."

 

• **If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know.**

 

"...Uhm... Sometimes — well most times — I say things without thinking them through and it hurts people. Like, I just have this inflection with my voice that makes me sound condescending and stuff, but I'm usually genuine about what I say. I sound like a bitch, but I'm not really one..." You facepalmed, "It's hard to explain, just don't take what I say personally..."

 

"i guess that makes sense, kinda. but monsters don't really care about that too much."

 

You were quiet for a second, trying to process that.

 

"Wha... How?"

 

He chuckled a little.

 

"monsters are all different, including the way we talk and sound. some of us sound like that, but it's just because we sound like that. it's how we are. so most of us don't really care about our differences, like how we talk or how we look... it's the one thing i wish humans did too."

 

You frowned. 

 

"Me too, Sans. Humans are just... Hurtful because we're different from each other. There's this unspoken phrase like, 'You're not me, so I hate you' kind of thing," You sighed, "I'm sorry that humans aren't always as welcoming as they should be."

 

"eh, it's okay. we can adapt to just about anything, all we need is time."

 

You nodded to yourself, and he yawned. 

 

"hahhh... i suppose i never told you mine, huh? guess you should know i may not always open up about some things... but i don't do it to hurt you. i don't know how to explain things would be the best way to describe it."

 

You wanted to ask; 'Do you at least try to explain?' but maybe now wasn't the time to ask.  Plus you both had spent enough time on this question already.

 

• **Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just met.**

 

"You're really down to earth and uhm... It's nice talking to you."

 

You blushed a little thinking how intimate that sounded after you said it. You hoped he didn't take it the wrong way...

 

"heh, thanks, angel. i feel the same about you. you're... interesting. it's fun watching you do things."

 

Your brows knitted together and you pursued your lips. What did he mean by that? Was it because you're clumsy or that you don't always do things, right? You swallowed... Should you ask?

 

You decided against it. You could ask him later.

 

• **Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.**

 

"My memory's not all that good, but uh, I guess one would have to be when I accidentally called this elderly woman a sir at an old job of mine. She was completely bald and had this big coat on, plus she was faced away from me. When I asked her if I could help her find anything, she turned around super pissed and accused me of being blind or something. I swear my face was both hot and ghostly white as I tried to save face and explain, but it's like everything I said just made it worse..." You laughed nervously, "Not one of my best moments..."

 

You could hear Sans snickering on the other side and you felt your face flush. You hated this question the most... It's not like you called her him on purpose, you just didn't see her all that well and that's what came out! 

 

After Sans finished laughing, he sighed contently.

 

"i don't get that embarrassed, but maybe one time when paps made me wear this weird costume for a show he wanted to do for mettaton..." His voice was both angry and soft at the same time, "it was basically a mettaton costume and i had to dance around and act like him... i don't think i've ever been that humiliated in my whole life, but... it made paps happy so i was willing to make a fool of myself."

 

You smiled to yourself. If only your brother was that willing... He did a lot for you when you both were kids, but you both had become distant since you grew up and now you hardly spoke. You were a little jealous of what Sans and Papyrus did for each other. 

 

"You really are a sweet brother, Sans. Who would honestly dress up as somebody they clearly don't like just to make their brother happy?"

 

You heard Sans grumble on the other end of the line and giggled softly to yourself.

 

• **When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?**

 

"Uhm... well, I don't really cry often, but... last time I cried in front of somebody else was probably uh..." You gulped and took a deep breath, "One of those first times we met when I passed out..." 

 

You took a moment to collect yourself and try to finish the question.

 

"Uhm, last time I cried by myself was probably a few weeks ago."

 

You didn't want to add any more context to that. You really didn't want to explain it was because of a nightmare...

 

"stars, this is a hard question... it's been a while since i've actually cried. does the crying from laughter a few weeks ago count?"

 

"I guess, I mean, you technically were crying, right?"

 

He chuckled.

 

"yeah, i was... surprisingly."

 

You paused.

 

**Does he fake things a lot? Just like...**

 

_You, right?_

 

"mmh. to myself, right?" You hummed acknowledgment, "guess that was... years ago. i don't really remember why."

 

His memory came to mind and you could only imagine what it was like losing his brother. You saw him fall apart, felt him breaking... You didn't want to rehash that pain. You kept your concerns to yourself.

 

• **Tell your partner something that you like about them already.**

 

"Well, you're really reliable."

 

He scoffed playfully.

 

"how's that?"

 

You felt a soft smile gave your lips as you curled up in your legs.

 

"You answered my call when you could've ignored it."

 

You heard something drop on the other side and some rustling.

 

"Sans? You okay?"

 

Some more rustling before his voice answered. It had a shaky undertone.

 

"'course... you don't have to keep bringing that up, it's not that big 'a deal."

 

You frowned and clutched your phone tightly.

 

**It is to me.**

 

"You're right, sorry. I must sound so sappy. Uhm, what about you, Sans? What do you like about me?"

 

You heard him humming loudly into the receiver, 'deep' in thought. It was so obnoxious you started laughing.

 

"hmmmmmmmmm, let me seeeee..."

 

"Pfft, Sans, quit it. If you don't have anything, you can just skip this question. I'm not gonna be hurt or something."

 

_You say that, but you really will be, won't you?_

 

Your voice trapped itself in your throat, taking a soft swallow. You were fine if he didn't like anything about you. There wasn't much to like anyway...

 

"nah, i'm just messing with you. trying to think of how to word it... maybe your pride?"

 

Your brows drew together. This was the most confusing answer ever. 

 

"...I don't know how to take that. Uh, thanks?"

 

He cleared his throat.

 

"you just... do what you think is right. it's a good thing."

 

You smiled a little. Was he referring to your bluntness or ignorance sometimes? You weren't really the most accommodating for some things and sometimes people stepped on land mines with you. Like... Those two rude parents who... Bad-mouthed Papyrus...

 

Now you understood where he was getting at.

 

"I think a lot of people would disagree with you, but I'm not asking them so, well... Thanks."

 

• **What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?**

 

"Uh... Well, it depends on the context, who's saying it, and who they're saying it to. Some things aren't funny in certain company under a particular pretext. Like, uh, joking about somebody's insecurity when you know it upsets them. It uhm... depends on a lot of things for me."

 

"i joke about just about anything, so not much isn't funny to some extent. i don't joke about death or killing though; not uh, heh, the right audience for that kinda thing myself."

 

• **If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven’t you told them yet?**

 

"Uhm... Classified."

 

"pfft, what? angel, you can't imply you won't use classified and then go and use it."

 

"I just... Don't want to answer this one. There's a lot of things I'd regret."

 

"well, share one. i'm not judgin'."

 

You pause and play with the edges of your sheets. What could you say that wouldn't give too much about you away? You weren't really sure what to say.

 

"Uhm... I suppose one thing would be not telling my dogs I love them. As to why I haven't told them... That's classified and complicated."

 

He chuckled a little.

 

"alright, alright. i'll let you off the hook, but i didn't know you had dogs."

 

Your laugh sounds hollow and forced.

 

"I mentioned it earlier, Bones. But, I share them with somebody and they live with them. Maybe I can show you a picture sometime?"

 

"guess i didn't hear, heh. sure, can't wait."

 

You both are quiet for a few moments. You clear your throat.

 

"oh right, i didn't go. i'd regret leaving paps without saying goodbye. just haven't had a reason to do that yet."

 

The 'yet' makes your stomach turn uncomfortably as you try to distract yourself with the next question. You know he's lost Papyrus before, but that wouldn't mean Papyrus lost him. You shake your head. On to the next question.

 

• **Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?**

 

"Maybe my shoe box? I don't really have any physical items with sentimental value... But I have this shoe box with all the mementos from my Disney trip. All the photos are on my phone and I'm never without that so... I guess that'd be the next thing."

 

"i'd probably save the photo albums of paps as a baby bones. i have a few albums hidden in my room that i'd hate to lose."

 

You aww'd. That was so sweet; Sans kept photo albums? Who knew he was so cheesy?

 

"it's not that cute, stars. i just... it brings me back to simpler times, you know?"

 

You giggled some.

 

"I'm just teasing you, dude. That's really sweet that you care about Papyrus so much that you kept hidden photo albums of him. I mean, you're a really dedicated and caring brother, so it makes sense."

 

You looked at the last question. You really weren't sure if you should ask, but you were pretty sure what his answer would be even if he answered classified. 

 

"You don't have to answer this next one if you don't want to... Just another heads-up."

 

• **Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?**

 

"Uhm... If my dad died, then... I'm not really sure what I'd do. He does a lot for me and without him, I'm not really sure what would happen."

 

He was quiet again. Maybe this really wasn't a good question to ask, but it was the last one you were comfortable with asking.

 

"You can answer classified, Bones. It's not a big deal. It's a personal question, so I understand if you–"

 

"no, i'll answer. without papyrus, i wouldn't do so well. he's my bro and he means the world to me."

 

You sighed quietly to yourself.

 

"Oh... That makes sense."

 

You yawned. A quick look at your phone showed 5:16 am. You guys had been at this for over 2 hours! Your voice was laced with anxiety.

 

"Oh shit, Bones! It's after 5! I'm so sorry for keeping you up! Ahh fuck... T-That's all the questions, you can go to sleep now. I'll hang up, sorry to keep you awake."

 

You yanked the phone from your ear and tried to press the button to hang up. But you heard him yawn again as he called after you before you did. His yawn made you yawn to yourself as you put it back to your ear.

 

"angel — hahhhh — wait."

 

"Y-Yeah?"

 

"don't worry about it. this was fun in a way."

 

You looked to the side as you curled back up in your sheets.

 

"You don't have to sugar coat it; nobody really likes this except me..." You tried to give yourself a happier tone to your voice, you would just make this last longer if you didn't, "But uh, that's okay. You gave me the distraction I needed. I can't even remember why I couldn't sleep anymore so mission accomplished. Thanks, Bones."

 

Some rustling on the other side of the line. You figured he was probably curling up into his sheets as well.

 

"even if i didn't like this as much as you, it was still fun talking to you and learning about you," His voice got slower and deeper, like it did when he first answered the phone, "you don't have to tear yourself down about it, you know? it's okay to like something others don't... it's what makes you unique."

 

You kept your frown and sigh to yourself.

 

"I guess you're right. Anyway, goodnight Bones."

 

"goodnight, angel."

 

You hung up and stared at your phone for a few minutes as his contact ID disappeared. You placed your phone back on your nightstand after checking the time. It was almost 5:30... 

 

That was... Interesting. Now that you had a moment to think things over, you were really surprised with what happened. Why was this questionnaire the first thing you thought of? You couldn't done just about anything else, but... It was nice talking like that with him. You kept wondering what he thought. Was it weird? Well, of course it was weird. But would he still be willing to talk to you after tonight, er, this morning? Your mind was hazy with the fog of sleep as your anxiety fizzled down to a steady thrum in your mind. Hopefully that wasn't so strange that he would be awkward around you. You had felt the two of you grow a bit closer these past months and you were actually a little happy for the change. You hoped your own weird interests didn't ruin that. 

 

And why did you ask that question? You two have only known each other for maybe 3 months! You could feel your cheeks heat up with shame and you buried yourself in your blankets. Why would you even think of asking him to be that one person for you to share everything with? And what would even make you believe he'd want you to be that person for him? You barely knew each other and that was super forward of you to ask. You just... He wanted the same thing. You still aren't sure what pushed you to ask such an obviously stupid question but, did it really hurt to try? You toss and turn thinking the answer over to yourself before you huff out, throwing the sheets off you.

 

You needed to stop worrying so much. You wouldn't even classify him as a friend... Right? But... After tonight... You pause and sit there quiet for a few moments. Maybe that was changing too...

 

You yawned into your empty room and turned your TV back up, watching a bit of it before you went back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So April and Sans are getting closer little by little. This chapter is kind of the push to make things more than acquaintances though. I mean, how can you say those things about yourself if you don't actually intend on getting to know somebody?
> 
> Oh, and for those of you who want to see the quiz I used, [click here](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/fashion/no-37-big-wedding-or-small.html?_r=0). They also have an app for it on iOS for iPhones (not sure about Samsung or other brands though...). You're welcome to do it with anybody you chose; friends, family, spouses, girlfriend/boyfriend, etc. It's a fun way to probe people's brains.


	27. There’s a Slumber Party and You’re Invited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get a chance to spend some quality time with your favorite monster couple and the skeleton brothers. This will be fun, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the unexpected hiatus. Things have been hectic this year, but hopefully from now on I can have a more steady schedule. We’ll see.

This was a bad idea.

You stand there in front of Undyne and Alphys's home — more like mansion — with a backpack on your shoulders. You're shaking like a leaf in front of the door. All you could think of was your last visit here; your first interaction with Alphys at least. Undyne was, well, still Undyne. But Alphys was still a little awkward around you. You readjust your bag on your shoulder and raise your hand to knock.

...Only to hesitate.

_You know, it's either deal with Alphys or deal with your dad. Take your pick, April._

You grit your teeth. You were trying to forget about your argument, but now you feel heat rise to your cheeks and your blood pressure escalate. He just... You sigh out loud to yourself and try to lower your heart rate. You love him, and you always will. And you know his heart is in the right place, at least you hope it is. But sometimes when you try to have conversations with him, it's like talking to wall that somehow manages to take everything you say and turn it around on you. And he stomps out your voice by talking while you talk or talking louder than you until you shut up due to the fact you'd only be wasting your breath if you continued. This happened between you two last week. You had an issue that he insisted on fixing and you had to deal with said issue till he had time to fix it. You can still remember him screaming at you because you didn't try to get ahold of him better even though you sent him 4 texts. His wife is better at reading her texts than him — you've known that since they got married — though you had figured the giant red 4 on his messages app would be a good indication. Apparently not, and you left his house in tears after he hadn't contacted you all day. You had only come by because you needed to at least clean some laundry that you couldn't finish due to said issue. But after him screaming at you, you said the hell with it and left to go to the laundromat. You can still feel the heat in your cheeks as you tried to hide your tears from judgmental eyes as the clothes got cleaned.

Anyway, you think to yourself that Alphys is way better to deal with because at least she isn't an obnoxious brick wall as you knock on the door to their home. You wait a few moments and then the door opens to reveal a certain skeleton dressed in something new.

In a black sweater printed with the words ' **Bone Daddy** ' over crossed bones that make the gray sweatpants stick out some, Sans stands there with a relaxed grin. You can't help but admire how the brown beanie on his head is a good contrast to his pearly skull.

You feel a bit out of place, but he and Papyrus were the ones who wanted you to come. Once they mentioned it, Undyne was totally on board and of course Alphys followed suit due to Undyne's enthusiasm. You see Papyrus not far behind in something equally surprising.

He's not wearing his battle body. His outfit is a plaid button up rolled to his elbows with his standard scarf that you've grown accustomed to draped in front of it. A pair of blue jeans are tucked into his usual boots, and he's snatching you up in a hug before you can get a better look at him.

"HUMAN! IT IS SO WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU! I WAS RATHER WORRIED THAT YOU MIGHT NOT SHOW UP TO OUR SLEEPOVER SINCE YOU SEEMED RATHER HESITANT, BUT I AM VERY ECSTATIC THAT YOU ARE HERE!"

You hug back for a moment before he puts you back on the ground. Combing back your hair, Sans welcomes you inside with a wink and you slip past him as he closes the door. Papyrus is already in a speech about the night's events that you tune out for only a moment as Sans whispers to you.

"glad you could make it, angel."

You smile back at him as you grip your bag strap some. You don't need to ruin the mood with your rehashed drama. Focus your attention back on Papyrus as he stops at the living room.

"NOW, I HAVE SOME OF MY WONDERFUL SPAGHETTI IN THE KITCHEN THAT I RECOMMEND YOU PARTAKE IN BEFORE YOU ENJOY OUR SLEEPOVER SNACK BAR."

Your brows knit in confusion.

"Sleepover snack bar? What does that mean?"

His eyes bug out, and to this day you still don't know how he can do that being a skeleton, as he turns around to you. His hands are firmly on his hips with a now stern glance faced your way. You can't help shrinking away from him a bit on instinct. He's already ready to give you a lecture and you can see it on his face... somehow.

"IT MEANS THAT WE HAVE WONDERFUL SNACKS LIKE POPCORN, POPATO CHISPS, VARIOUS TYPES OF CANDIES, SOME MORE OF MY DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI, SODAS, TEAS, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. HOW HAVE YOU NEVER HAD A SLEEPOVER SNACK BAR BEFORE?"

_Popato chisps? What the hell is that– Some weird monster food?_

Your smile is somewhat lopsided as you shrug. Papyrus is shocked for only a moment before he's grasping your hand and dragging you into the living room where Undyne and Alphys are already waiting. You see what he meant; the coffee table is covered in food and drink of all kinds. It's overwhelming and you're not sure how to go about snacking at it when Undyne is jumping up towards you. She has you in a headlock before you can say anything, giving you a noogie. You drop your bag off your shoulder and groan, trying to get out of her grasp with a shaking laugh. She lets you go and her voice booms.

"April! HEY! So glad you could come! Me and Alphys were deciding what anime we were gonna watch! You wanna pick one?!"

You lock eyes with Alphys and time slows down. You should say something to ease the air. The tension is rising and your heart is beating a bit faster due to anxiety. You open your mouth to say something; nothing comes out. You're not sure what to say and she turns away before you figure it out. You frown for a second but shake your head.

"No, you guys go ahead. I'm up for anything."

Undyne growls with a fist raised.

"Really?! Alright! Alph, do that one with all the blood and gore! She said she liked that one, right?!"

Alphys nods and grabs a DVD before sliding it into the television. Undyne guides you to —what you can assume is the place where you all will be sleeping — a bunch of mattresses and pillows and blankets spread all over. The snacks are behind you and the television is in front of you. You start to speak as you notice you left your bag, but Papyrus grabs it as he follows after. Sans is somehow gone, but you're sure he'll show up eventually. By the time you're shoved on the pile of material and your bag is next to you, you notice the intro song being played for a few seconds until it's paused. You gaze up to recognize a similar scene, and familiar characters grazing partly in and out of screen.

It's Full Metal Alchemist, at least the old one anyway.

"Oh! It's Full Metal Alchemist!"

Undyne plops next to you with Alphys in her lap, a bright red covering her yellow scales as she's squeezed against the larger's chest. You can't help giggling a bit at her reaction out of awkwardness and Undyne chuckles back.

"Yeah, Alph mentioned you liked this one, right babe?"

Alphys nods as she tries to hide her intensely blushing face in her sweater. You suppose that everybody here is either a reptile, fish, or skeleton, and they all must be somewhat cold blooded or struggle retaining heat since they're all in sweaters or jackets. You struggle to cool off so you're just in some capris and a regular t-shirt. You think their sweaters are cute though; Undyne has Buff Babe and Alphys has Science Cutie. They're so cute. You feel sick with all the cuteness, but it's in a good way.

"Y-Y-Yes... She saw your c-cosplay, Undyne..."

"Ahh, yeah! That's right! Well, we thought it'd be fitting to play this one since this is your first time over, but next time is Alph's turn!"

You're frozen. Uh, next time? There was already a next time? You feel an uneasy churn in your gut and try to smile.

"Uh, yeah. Let's just see how this goes and work from there."

Undyne doesn't seem to understand what you mean, but she fist pumps and calls to the brothers.

"You nerds ready for some awesome anime?!"

Sans and Papyrus have placed themselves beside and behind you. You can already see Sans falling asleep, but Papyrus is wide awake and ready. You try to get cozy and enjoy the anime like everybody around you. You do your best to push your frustration with your dad away as the anime starts.

* * *

 

You step out after everybody is asleep and wrap your arms around yourself. A cool breeze sends shivers through you, but you look up at the sky to distract yourself. Awestruck by the stars displayed above, you sit down on the porch with your legs curled against your chest. You don't know much about constellations, but the stars's beauty isn't lost on you. The moon is barely a crescent, so it's only a low glow illuminating the battle ground in the backyard. You can barely see much even with your glasses, but that's okay. You just want to sit for a moment with the sounds of crickets and wind brushing your hair as you gaze among the stars. You need to de-stress. You need to forget about your anger. You just... **Need to breathe**.

Your eyes close as you focus on the soft noises around you. You take a deep breath in, hold it, then exhale. Again. You do this a few more times before you open your eyes. You can feel a calmness wash over you, and you relish in it.

Only a few seconds pass before you're interrupted.

"whatcha doin', angel?"

You jolt in place at the sudden baritone of his voice and turn to see its holder. Sans is there without the beanie, but still in the silly sweater and sweats. You smile at him softly before looking back at the sky.

"I'm just... Admiring the stars."

Without anything said, he's sitting next to you with his eyelights towards the stars as well. You peek over at him and he smiles a bit, before you both return your attention up above.

"ya know, i don't think i'll ever tire of this view."

You sit and listen as you try to create patterns in the lights dotting the sky.

"ever since we came to the surface... this is my favorite thing. it's so much more than i ever thought it'd be."

You feel your lips turn up a bit in a smile but then quickly into a frown thinking of how life must've been like in the underground for all that time. How did they cope with not being able to breathe fresh air? Or even see the sun or the stars? You realize the little things you take for granted that he never had and cherishes almost as much as he cherishes Papyrus.

"It really is amazing... I guess sometimes I take it for granted." You grip your knees, "But when you're away from the city, you can see the sky so clearly. All the stars and galaxies and everything, it's breathtaking."

You both sit quiet for a moment. Just admiring the majesty before you. You hear Sans's voice lightly laced with what you believe is concern.

"you've been kind of off tonight. paps and i were worried 'bout ya."

You frown a bit at their perceptiveness. You don't really want to get into it, but maybe some venting might clear your mind about it.

"Have... Mmh..." You fidget with your pajama bottom as you bite at your bottom lip, "Have you and Papyrus ever fought before?"

Sans is stunned for a moment, before a soft laugh escapes his teeth.

"it's rare, but once in a blue moon we do."

That makes you feel a bit more... **Normal**. Knowing that the one person Sans cares about most in the world has fought with him before is somehow relieving. You hadn’t known the brothers very long, but something you could’ve seen right off the bat was the caring and endearing nature Sans had with Papyrus, and vice versa. They were always together, and though to some it may seem like they always argue over Sans’s jokes, they got along so well. Sans knew when to stop joking around, and Papyrus knew when he would get a little too naggy. You're sure that you and your dad probably disagree more, but still, with a relationship so easy-going and cohesive as theirs still having bumps makes you feel better about this argument.

"I didn't figure you guys fought... I mean, it makes sense because even the best relationships have rocks, but... I guess it must not have crossed my mind..."

You're not sure how to ask about it, it might be private. Well, it is private, but you're curious as to what exactly they fight about. You twiddle your thumbs for a bit but again, he speaks before you have a chance.

"last time we fought, it was about a year or so after we got to the surface. he wanted to go to school — to learn more about humans and human customs..." he was quiet for a second and you gazed over to see that his eyelights were gone, "i was a little hesitant, heh. not good experiences with many humans, but you know paps. once he sets his mind to something, there's no stoppin' him... i just..."

He stops for a moment and blinks his eyelights back into existence. Then he shrugs.

"i knew i couldn't stop him, so he went by himself with the help of undyne and alph. sometimes my feelings get the best of me, but we worked things out after a bit."

You look down at your hands and try to summon some courage.

"I get that..."

Sans pieces together a star pattern with his bones. You're transfixed by his magic even after seeing it so many times. It's simply enchanting.

"you fightin' with somebody, i'm guessing'?"

His bones disappear with a flick of his hand and you're left to try to come up with a response. You can only find yourself nodding hesitantly. But you didn't want to unload your issues on him, you didn't want to do that to anybody. That's the whole reason why you haven't talked to anybody in general about it. Why stress more people out over things that don't involve them? It's not like they could make all your frustration and anger go away... You just wish you could not be such a **bother**.

"...Do you ever feel like you're always troubling people? Like, everything you say and everything you do is always causing other people problems no matter what?”

He's quiet for a second, before his magic appears again as smaller bones forming what you believe is an upside down heart. His actual magic fills it in and it floats up and down at a slow rhythm.

"heh, 'course i do. doesn't everybody?"

You frown as you start to think that he's not understanding what you're saying.

_Just laugh it off, it's not like anybody would understand that you really are a bother. A problem. Another mess people have to clean up after. **You're only a mistake.**_

"but that doesn't always mean you actually are."

You feel tears rising in your eyes, blinking them away as best you can. Everybody says that, but they don't actually mean it. Your voice shakes, but you swallow down the feelings bubbling up your throat. You focus on his magical heart to try and distract from your rapidly beating one.

"Yeah... I guess you're right. Sometimes I wonder and I just... Get tired of feeling that way, ya know? Like, I want to feel that maybe I'm not sometimes. My mind can't be at peace and it's so f-frustrating and..." Your voice is uneven towards the end and you pause to give yourself enough time to push that feeling back down again, "I don't know, I'm just rambling about stupid stuff, I guess."

Sans takes your hand with his and sets them both down on the patio. He doesn't say anything, only watching his magic float up and down in that slow, calming motion.

"we all wanna feel like we're not trouble for other people. look at me; paps always has to worry about me. doin' my laundry, cleanin' my room, makin' sure i don't just eat ketchup or hot dogs all the time... he's so cool..." he takes a moment, then continues, "let's just say, so far you aren't trouble for us. paps enjoys your company and so do 'dyne and alph'..."

The fact he didn't directly mention himself has your heart sink in your chest. You knew since the beginning that he wasn't that crazy about you, but this confirmation has your stomach in knots. You pull your hand away from his grasp and start to stand up. Even after your phone conversation with him, everything you both shared...

_It was only your own delusions thinking you two had grown closer. The sooner you except the inevitable, the sooner you can get over the fact that you'll be sad and alone forever. Because honestly, who would ever **want** to be close to you?_

He seems a bit startled and goes to stand up with you.

"what's up? feelin' tired?"

You stop for a second, a self-depreciating smile on your lips.

“Yeah... I’m exhausted.” You sigh softly to yourself, “Sometimes I wish I could sleep forever.”

His eyelights are dim as you finish. Both concern and understanding are melting just a fraction into his expression, that smile pulling down at the very edges.

“angel, you don’t mean that.” When you don’t say anything he continues, “right?”

He goes to grab your arm and get an answer from you, but you sidestep him and he misses. Before you turn to walk back inside; you look back at him. You didn’t mean to say that to him, or even out loud. You can feel yourself wanting to rectify this, to put his expression to one of ease again. Play it off as just a slip of the tongue; he won’t know any better, right?

“Nah, I just... I’m just kidding, you know?” A small chuckle comes from your mouth, but there’s no real humor to it, “Don’t be so uptight.”

His expression isn’t any more relaxed than it was after you initially spoke, and you want to avoid this topic all together. You mutter a half hearted goodnight before walking back into the mansion.

You hit something sturdy and groan. You were pretty sure the door was right there, but maybe you still don't know the layout here. You rub your face that came in contact with what you believe is a wall. It hurts a bit, but you don't have time to dwell on it when he continues.

"oh, hey bro. whatcha' doin' up so late?"

You glance up to Papyrus's face to see a concerned scowl being thrown your way. You can't help backing up; his stature already makes you nervous as he practically towers over you. You swallow dryly and apologize under your breath before trying to rush past. Papyrus has you by the shoulder and spins you around so that he has you in a massive bear hug. You can feel him crushing you with his bizarre strength. You moan as you squirm in his grasp.

"Papyrus, uhm, if you could —ugh— just let me go, that'd be —argh— much appreciated."

"NO."

You pause your struggling. The sure bass in his tone has your whole body tense. You've never heard him so serious before; the sound making fear shot up your nerves.

"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WON'T RELEASE YOU UNTIL YOU TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID."

You try to hide your discomfort with a shaky smile. You plead with him to release you, but what would actually make him let go?

"Papyrus, I'm... I’m kind of sleepy, I think I might pass out."

He holds you tighter.

“And I, uh... I have to pee.”

Tighter still.

"Seriously."

He says nothing. A scowl paints your features despite your attempts to hide your growing anger. You begin to struggle again, but it's in vain and you know it. Still, it makes you feel better about your current predicament where you're helpless to Papyrus's strength. It has you feel even more vulnerable knowing that he heard at least enough to upset him. You're still debating whether or not that's a good thing.

"HUMAN APRIL, I PROMISE YOU THAT I WILL OUTLAST YOU. MY EXTENSIVE TRAINING HAS PREPARED ME FOR THIS VERY SITUATION AND I HAVE THE ENDURANCE TO HOLD YOU FOR AS LONG AS I NEED TO."

You glance to Sans for help, who is currently standing beside Papyrus with a lopsided smile on his skull. He shrugs when you catch his eyelights and it somehow makes your blood boil. You grind your teeth to keep yourself from saying anything more you may regret.

"IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE YOU GIVE THE GREAT PAPYRUS HIS VICTORY."

You can feel your bladder start to constrict painfully in your gut. You don't actually have to pee, do you? A cold sweat forms on your back.

_You'd better lie then; what if he really doesn't let you go? Although, you pissing yourself in front of them would be so hilariously humiliating._

You open your mouth, but you aren't even sure what to say.

_Everybody ends up leaving you in the end anyway, maybe this is better... Go on, tell him the truth. Tell him you weren’t kidding about wanting to ‘ **sleep** ’ forever._

"Papyrus... I’m not really sure what you mean. Me and Sans were just talking, it was nothing important, I swear.”

His grip seems to lighten at your voice, but he tightens it before you can wiggle yourself free.

"APRIL, YOU'RE LYING RIGHT NOW. RIGHT SANS?"

Sans shrugs besides his brother. Papyrus nods in triumph, even though Sans didn't actually say anything. You know if it was between you or him, Sans would choose his brother's side no matter what. You frown again. You mutter to yourself, a bit of frustration in your tone.

“Guess I’m gonna be here all night... I just want to sleep...”

Sans' smile falters and he comes next to you.

"hey bro, can you put her down a sec? i wanna check something."

The ominous nature of his voice has goosebumps go up your arms. He didn't hear you, did he?

_Way to go, moron. Now you have that mysterious skeleton 'checking something'. Maybe it'll be how you look with your insides on the outside, wouldn't that be nice?_

"I SUPPOSE FOR A MOMENT. BUT BE QUICK ABOUT IT, I AM TRYING TO PROVE SOMETHING TO OUR FRIEND HERE."

Papyrus lets you down and you feel some of the pressure relieve itself from your abdomen. But enough was still there to let you know that you did indeed have to pee. You could probably hold it till this was over with, then make a run to the bathroom. Papyrus puts you down, his arms still holding your shoulders. A familiar sensation grasped your body and you jolt in place. You hadn't felt this since that one time with Sans at work. A bright cyan lights up the space beside you, and you glance over to see Sans's left eye flaring an identical color. You feel a tug pulling at your chest, a burning sensation igniting there as you gasp. It... **It hurts**. You take hold of where the pain settles. It's not very bad, but it's deep within you and right at the surface of your skin at the same time. The conflicting pain receptors in your body fight for dominance of your brain. You clamp your eyes shut as you try to bear it. You had a high pain tolerance, this was fine. You could handle it.

As soon as it comes, it's gone. The cyan coming from Sans is gone as well. You take a deep breath and fall forward into Papyrus's chest. A surprised 'NYEH?!' resounds before you get ahold of yourself and set yourself straight, pushing yourself off of him. What... Was that?

"HUMAN APRIL, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

You shake your conscious to focus on his words and smile. You don't even know how to answer that, but you don’t want to continue this conversation. You want to run away from this, you **need** to run away. Papyrus still has a grip on you and you just want some time to yourself to understand what that pain was.

"I'm fine. I just actually have to go to the bathroom now. Can you please let me go? I was fibbing a bit earlier, but now I really do have to go."

Papyrus frowns, but reluctantly releases you as Sans taps his shoulder. You don't waste a second to run back inside and go to the bathroom. You lock the door behind you and pull up your shirt to look at your chest.

A long, horizontal birthmark from above your left breast down to midway in between both stares back at you. Same as it's always been. But it seems a bit darker than usual the more you look at it. You realize that the pain was coming from there and you can't understand why. It's never hurt before, and you can't even feel it as anything other than naturally repaired skin. Yet it was so strong... You trace the mark slowly with two fingers. You can feel them against the discolored marking and sigh to yourself. It was probably nothing.

...At least that's what you're hoping.

You put your shirt back down and go to your business in a daze. You find your way back to the living room, Undyne sprawled along the sheets and Alphys curled up against her, spooning her side. You find the sight oddly peaceful despite the tense atmosphere with the skeleton brothers outside. You decide against going back out there to see them — they seem to still be talking — and climbing back on your spot on the couch recliner and curling up in your impromptu sheets. You feel sleep pull at your consciousness. As curious as you are to find out what happened after you left, you end up falling asleep a few minutes later.

* * *

"SHE'S WHAT?!"

Sans clenches his teeth, doing his best to keep his brother quiet as he holds a finger to his mouth.

"shhh. you'll wake everybody up, bro."

Papyrus clamps a hand over his mouth a few moments before clearing his nonexistent throat. Sans's smile is a bit strained as he recalls what happened.

"her hp is dropping, but i couldn't see how much she has. she's not **falling**... at least not yet."

Sans can see his brother's face laced with concern and his eyelights are dim. He didn't really want to tell his brother, but since he's right here, it was the only way to get you away to process what he saw.

"How could you not see how much she has? Is it still not showing up correctly?"

Sans nods.

"we just need to keep an eye on it. but there's no need to alarm anybody, alright?"

Papyrus's eyes widen before he interjects.

"But Sans! April has a right to know what's going on!"

Sans sighs and tucks his hands in his sweatpants. This is a difficult thing to discuss. Papyrus wasn’t stupid, and it’s not like he could’ve hidden this secret with you from him forever. Even Alphys was starting to ask questions, and he wasn’t even sure how to answer hers; let alone his brother’s.

“bro, i know that you care about her. but we don’t know what kind of person she really is yet... let’s just keep this between us, okay?”

Papyrus is torn, and it has Sans’s soul twisting in his chest. He hates when Papyrus looks like that. He wants his brother to smile, but before he can lighten the mood with a joke, the taller skeleton clears his throat.

“Sans... You care about her too, don’t you? What she said about being tired... It was a lot like you before... Before we came up here. You both even had the same tone in the way you said it.“

It’s his turn to smile self-depreciatingly. He could tell his tone was like yours? Just how much did Papyrus know? Sans had thought he’d hidden his depression about their predicament underground pretty well, but maybe not as much as he thought.

“i... it wasn’t like that. it was just different underground, and you know me, i’ve always been lazy.”

Under Papyrus’s intense stare, Sans can feel himself shrink to escape it. He hates when his brother does this, and it’s hard to hide things when he does. Ever since they came to the surface, Papyrus has been more observant and clever at seeing through him. He runs a hand along his neck vertebrae, his smile a bit stiff on his face.

“bro, c’mon. don’t give me that look.”

Papyrus crosses his arms and blocks the doorway. Although Sans could just teleport through it, he hesitates.

“You‘re trying to do that talk thing where you turn the conversation in another direction, but I won’t let you.” His expression is sincere, and it has Sans grind his teeth, “How do you feel about the human, about **April**? What is she to you, Sans?”

Sans doesn’t say anything for a few minutes. What did you mean to him? All he can think about is that day, the day he saw you breakdown like he had so many times before, and this only cemented the idea that you both were more alike than he’d like to admit. He still can’t really understand why he did that that day himself. For any other human, he would’ve left them to handle themselves, but there was something about you that drew him to you... He didn’t even understand it himself, even with all his research after the fact. If you were special like their ambassador was, or even more so, then... Maybe that was all this was? He dropped his smile as he thought of other possibilities, but quickly shook them aside.

“she’s... different. i don’t know how i feel about her yet.”

He can see his counterpart starting up a rebuttal.

“but that doesn’t matter, bro. we just need to make sure she stops falling, okay? can we focus on that?”

Papyrus backs off a bit at San’s tone, and it has him mentally berate himself. He didn’t have to say it like that, but he didn’t want to continue this topic either. He was starting to think less rationally than he’d like, and he needed to refocus his thoughts.

“sorry, paps, i didn’t–“

Papyrus lifts a hand to rest on Sans’s shoulder. A heroic smile graces his face.

“It’s alright, Sans. I know topics like these make you... uncomfortable. We will work on the important task of restoring April’s HP, but when the time comes...” He pauses to grace a softer smile, “You will be honest with me, won’t you?”

He had been using your real name. Papyrus was growing closer to you, Sans could see it. Only people he was close to, especially human wise, he would call by their first name. What would happen if you... if you were just another version of **them**?

“i’ll...”

But Sans still had a lot of things he kept from his brother; the resets, the human before, his... falling down, and his depression and apathy about it. But he could agree to this, right?

“i’ll try, bro.”

Papyrus lifts up Sans swiftly, carrying him as he would a toddler as they both go back inside.

“Good, well we should –“ Papyrus yawns, “be getting some rest. Undyne will be up fairly early despite how late they both stayed up and I am eager to see April tomorrow morning. Time to put your sleeping skills to the test, brother.”

As they head inside, the comfortable embrace of his brother lolls him to sleep. Too many years spent in this position left him finding sleep easier than he thought possible after everything that had happened tonight. But after it all, he can’t help his dreams wandering to you.


	28. A Little Peak into Our Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has trouble sleeping, and after some thought about last night comes to a decision. On the other hand, you had a bit of an off sleep, and then you all enjoy some breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So happy 2 year anniversary, everyone! I just wanted to give a huge thanks to those of you who have been following this for 2 whole years! Like, I still can't even believe I've been working on this fic for that long. I know I don't post often, but I'm really grateful to those of you who have been here since the beginning, came across this along the way and stuck for the ride, or those of you who are just now coming across this! 
> 
> I don't post often, and I know that sucks. A lot of different things, both internal and external, that make it difficult to work on this consistently and I apologize for that. But for those of you who want to see this crazy ride through, buckle up and subscribe! It's the best way to know when this is updated, trust me. 
> 
> Anyway, I'm rambling, but thank you guys again so much! Enjoy :)

* * *

****

**_._ **

**_.._ **

****

**_..._ **

****

**_“There is so much more to this than you think, my dear._ ** **_ So much more _ ** **_.”_ **

* * *

Sans wakes up a little disoriented. He doesn’t know where he is for a moment before he comes to his senses. He had such a strange dream, but he’s not even sure what it was about. He rubs his skull free of the sweat it’s formed on his browbone. He needs to get up for a second and get a glass of water or something. With a quick teleport, he’s in the kitchen with his phone in his hand.

_3:45am... geez, even when i want to sleep, i still can’t. what the hell is wrong with me?_

He grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and wanders back into the living room to observe his sleeping companions. His eyelights wander to Undyne and Alphys spooning each other, Undyne as the big spoon and Alphys as the little spoon. He discreetly takes a picture to use as innocent blackmail or something later, then his eyelights wander to you and Papyrus. Papyrus has a hold of you as if his life depended on it, and after last night, he supposed he can’t blame his brother. He seemed so worried about you... Something in Sans feels a bit off-put by his brother’s behavior, even though it should seem natural when you learn somebody is falling down. But somehow, he doesn’t think it’s just that.

The question his brother asked him still echoes in his skull.

**_*How do you feel for the human, for April? What is she to you, Sans?*_ **

He still isn’t sure how to answer either of those questions. But seeing you in his brother’s arms has him... What would he call this feeling? Frustrated? Protective? Envious? Jealous?

He shakes his head. That’s stupid. He barely knows you, you barely know him.

But... You did ask him if you could share things with him. And after everything you both shared that night... and even what he shared with you earlier, weren’t things different between you two now? Hadn’t things been different before that?

_why’d she ask that? is it because she knows about her soul?_

He looks over to see a conflicted expression on your face even though Papyrus has you grasped pretty tightly. Confusion and what looks almost like pain cross your features, then you curl a bit in yourself.

_or i guess... maybe she wants something more substantial in a friend?_

He steps closer and reaches out to you, mere inches from your sleeping form. He takes a long look at you, studying the intricacies of your face and posture. He always used to pet Papyrus’ skull when they were little to help him through a bad dream. A little bit of soothing magic through his phalanges was all it would take. It’s not like anybody would know he did it. Plus you look so conflicted right now, maybe he could make it better for you too?

_if we can even consider each other friends now..._

He takes his hand away dejectedly. That really didn’t seem like such a good idea. He didn’t make a good impression last night. After he’d started talking, he knew his mistake as you stood. He’s not entirely oblivious. He didn’t mention himself enjoying your company because he wanted to keep himself objective. But he actually kind of did. Okay, maybe really did. More than he’d like.

He felt a light blush cover his cheekbones.

It’s not like that. You were down to earth, stood up for what was right, and legitimately laughed at his puns. He’d be lying to himself if that last one didn’t inflate his ego a little, and you definitely earned bonus points for standing up for his brother against those humans who didn’t exactly hide their racism. He takes another sip of his water and goes to the kitchen, taking a seat on one of the chairs.

_i still can’t even believe she asked that. i was so shocked i couldn’t say anything before she changed the subject... and it wasn’t something you could just casually come back to, even for me. but... maybe..._

He looks back over at where you’re laying down. You’re still struggling somewhere in your dreams.

_suppose i could try, considering the downward state of her soul. even though i’m not sure where exactly she’s at. paps obviously cares about her..._

He teleports over to you with newfound determination — although his hand itself is shaking — then puts his hand on your head. With a gentle couple strokes back and forth, then some pats, your expression softens. He can’t help the little smile come to his mouth at the gentle expression.

But it’s quickly wiped away as Papyrus wraps his arms tighter around you.

_for paps, sans. focus on that._

His mind wanders to his notebook. He could easily go get it and he probably should to catalog last nights events. What with that pained expression you had after he attempted to see your soul. The flare he felt from it that even gave him a little discomfort. And the... well, the continued absence of your LV and EXP was... disconcerting. He knows if he could just see them, that would instantly confirm or disprove his fears, but it’s almost as if they don’t want to be seen. Like, your soul doesn’t want to show itself for some reason. And even with his abilities being stronger than most, if not all monsters in the underground, he couldn’t even get a glimpse.  _  
_

_it doesn’t matter what i think of her. she may still be dangerous, she may be like_ **_them_ ** _.... or worse._

He doesn’t want to think that after everything he learned about you that night. After all this time he’s spent talking to you and getting to know your character. To believe you have such bad intentions is a little contradictory considering your actions. But he’s been deceived before. And he doesn’t want that to happen again. Not at the risk of losing... His eyelights wander to Papyrus again.

_i won’t lose him again. i can’t lose him again._ **_never again_ ** _._

He sighs, teleporting to his and his brother’s house and finds his journal locked up in his sock drawer, somewhere he knows Papyrus would never look and nobody would think to look. He catalogs last nights events with a heaviness in his soul. He shouldn’t do this, he knows that you would hate him if you ever found out.

_i’ll just have to make sure she never finds out. that shouldn’t be hard, right?_

Sans doesn’t want to believe you’re anything more than his brother’s friend. He really doesn’t want to believe there’s anything more to your relationship. But he knows that’s a lie he’s telling himself, something he’s trying so desperately to believe is true. After last night, his fight with Papyrus wasn’t something he’d share with just anybody. He’d been hoping to get you to open up, but even he doesn’t even know why. He could’ve done it in another way. He knew from the moment he answered the door that you were upset about something. So Papyrus got worried, and so did he. But what for? He shouldn’t be worried; humans are complicated and they can handle themselves. He’d known that since his time underground with his own experiences with humans in the past. But... He still feels a pain in his chest when he thinks of your predicament. He should apologize for last night. If he wants this feeling to go away, something tells him that’s what he should do.

He wrings his skull in his hands, water bottle long forgotten at Undyne and Alphys’s house. He reads through his notes, the fewer they seem to be as of late. He’s even gotten lazy with his research regarding human souls and soul searching in humans like he had when he first met you. All he could find was theories and guesses, but no solid evidence. He just didn’t feel it was necessary, but it had been because of lack of evidence. But was that really the only reason he had all but stopped his research and cataloging all together? He knows the answer isn’t one he’d like to admit, given the circumstances. After all, he gave you a nickname and everything.

“what is she to me is a damn good question, paps. i wish i knew the answer...”

* * *

You wake up a little groggy and sore; the recliner didn’t really do well for your back considering the slightly crouched position you find yourself in. You fell asleep so quickly last night, but it wasn’t that great a night’s sleep due to the stress of the evening’s events which leaves you feeling more tired. You know you didn’t have the best of dreams at first, but somehow you don’t remember what it was. It takes you a moment to fully wake up, and as you go to stretch your limbs, you notice that you’re being cradled — aka spooned — by skeletal arms and thus can’t move.

As your predicament hits you, you find yourself stiffening. Who is... Slowly you glance up and hear soft nyeh’s whistling through teeth resting near your head. Oh, it’s just Papyrus. For a second there, you thought you might be in some horror movie or something and you were being spooned by a corpse. You figure honestly without cognition and magic, Papyrus and Sans are the closest things to corpses there are, being skeletons and all. You shake yourself out of the spiral of thoughts coming on and try to wiggle yourself out of his grasp. You probably should’ve learned your lesson from last night, or any times Papyrus has held you in any way, but you haven’t as you struggle fruitlessly to free yourself.

After a few troubling minutes, you give up and sink back into the chair. Well, you’re stuck until he wakes up. Hopefully, that’ll be sooner rather than later. As you wait quietly, the sun peers through the windows and starts to illuminate the room. Being that you’ve rigged your own room as a personal dark room and that you usually leave for work before the sun rises, you’re certainly not used to the sun in the morning. But somehow, it’s refreshing. As the minutes tick by, you can now see the silhouettes of Alphys and Undyne spooning themselves on the mattress. It’s still cute and still makes you a little sick to your stomach because of it. Public displays of affection like that kind of made you uncomfortable. Scratch that; they made you very uncomfortable. Holding hands was about as much as you could stand, not that you’d stop somebody, but still. It just wasn’t your cup of tea.

Speaking of tea, you can feel your lips a bit dry and could really go for a cup of that golden flower tea you had gotten from Sans so long ago. You wonder to yourself where he had gotten it; you haven’t seen it being sold anywhere since — you even tried to check some monster districts to no avail. You glance around again, and you don’t actually see said skeleton in the room anywhere. You figured due to his compulsive narcolepsy that maybe he’d be passed out on the other side of Papyrus, but you glance under an arm to not see him there and you highly doubt he would sleep very far away from his brother.

_Why are you putting so much effort into finding that skeleton? Don’t you remember what happened last night?_ **_  
_ **

She chuckles as you tense, thinking back on last night's events. How when he had somehow grabbed what you think might’ve been your soul — at least that’s an educated guess from what you’ve learned of monsters thus far — that your scar had flared up, causing pain to ripple across your chest. You clench your pant leg to take your food of it, then try to readjust yourself to roll on your side.

****

_Yeah, you want that to happen again? It’d probably be best to avoid him, considering he doesn’t seem to like you that much anyway._

**That’s not true** , you think to yourself,  **he never said he doesn’t like me, and he seemed to show some concern last night...** _  
_

_Ha, curiosity would be a better word, you know._

You roll your eyes before closing them. The sun’s starting to really brighten the place up, so you’re sure somebody will wake up soon. You really hope it’ll be Papyrus.

* * *

Another 10 or 20 minutes, you’re unsure as to how long since you were unable to grab your phone due to Papyrus’s spooning, he yawns rather loudly and opens his eyes. You’re not sure how he even closed them, but every question you have about them can be answered by magic for now until you get closer to them, if you ever do after last night. He doesn’t release you as he wakes up, and you swallow.

“Uhm, good morning, Papyrus.”

He takes one arm off of you, but you’re still unable to move. Rubbing an eye, he blinks a few times and looks down. It’s seconds before his eyes bulge out and he literally jumps off the couch. At least you’re free now and you stretch yourself, feeling a few bones in your back pop. You can see a light orange blush on his cheekbones when you turn back around, but he clears his non-existent throat and strikes a pose.

“G-GOOD MORNING, APRIL! DID YOU SLEEP WELL?”

Not really is what you feel compelled to say, but you humor him with a smile.

“I slept fine, how about you?”

The question alone makes his cheekbones light up even more. It’s kind of cute to be so embarrassed about it, but with the way he cuddled your pillow that first time they came over, you already sort of knew he was a cuddler. You just weren’t expecting him to fall asleep by you and cuddle you of all things.

“THE GREAT PAPYRUS SLEPT GREAT! A VERY RESTFUL NIGHT’S SLEEP AFTER-“ He stops mid-sentence, the tightening of his smile plain as day before he continues — his eyelights looking anywhere but at you, “WELL, I SLEPT GREAT!”

He takes a moment to observe the area, and he immediately seems a bit downtrodden. It’s contagious when it comes from him since he’s always the light of the room, but you shake it off.

“HAVE YOU SEEN SANS? USUALLY, HE’S STILL ASLEEP AND I HAVE TO WAKE HIM.”

You give a sheepish smile.

“I’m not sure, I haven’t seen him since I woke up about 20 minutes ago, though it might’ve been longer than that.”

His eyes bulge again. He then stares at you.

“YOU’VE BEEN AWAKE THAT LONG?! WHY DIDN’T YOU WAKE ME UP?!”

You can’t shake that sheepish smile as you mutter. Seeing him so distraught over this is a little disarming.

“Well, you looked comfortable. I didn’t really need to get up, so I figured I’d wait till you woke up. I just didn’t think you’d sleep that much longer since you strike me as an up-before-the-sun kind of guy... err, monster.”

He laughs heroically, misinterpreting what you said for a compliment you think and puts one hand on a hip, and another on his pajama-clad sternum.

“OF COURSE! NOTHING CAN BEAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS, NOT EVEN THE SUN!”

Somehow during the conversation, you see Undyne and Alphys rousing from their slumber to yawn and stretch.

“Geez, Paps, you don’t gotta be so loud. You’ll wake up the neighborhood!”

Undyne has some wicked bedhead, as in her normally ponytailed hair is all sorts of twisted and crimped from sleeping on it. You’re not entirely sure how monster hair works, but you figured with the amazing feats monsters are capable of, their hair might have that picture perfect quality that you always see from photoshopped models in magazines. It’s actually a little relieving that it doesn’t work like that. It doesn’t help you from giggling a bit at its absurdity while Undyne gives Alphys a light kiss on her cheek. Alphys wakes up immediately at that and becomes a blushing, stuttering mess.

“U-Und-Undyne! W-Why did you- H-How could you- AHHhhh....”

Undyne laughs at her girlfriend’s actions and you try to ignore the queasy feeling in your gut as you hear someone entering the room.

“ehh, at least you’re not  **blue in the gills**.”

It was a bad pun, but you still snort a bit at it. You turn to see Sans with a cup of coffee in his hands. The smell doesn’t help that queasy feeling in your gut. You didn’t care for the smell of very few things, and that was one of them. He turns to you as he takes a sip, stopping momentarily at the change in your expression.

“you’re looking a bit fishy looking though, angel. you alright?”

You nod, trying to ignore the smell.

“Yeah, just not a fan of what you’re drinking.”

He’s quiet but takes another sip. You try to ignore that pungent odor as you pull yourself off the sofa. Papyrus comes to Sans and scolds him.

“YOU HAD ME WORRIED, SANS! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?”

Sans shrugs, giving a wink and a crooked smile.

“were you  **bonely**  without me, bro?

It takes Papyrus a moment before he’s stomping his foot and throwing his arms in the air. You giggle at the display, which has Papyrus smile a bit even though he tries to hide it and Sans take another sip of coffee to conceal his growing grin. Undyne groans as she lifts Alphys up in her arms.

“I’m guessing he has a  **cuddlebone**?”

Sans snickers and all eyes are on you as you smile and laugh some. Alphys is a blushing mess as Undyne carries her towards the kitchen.

“Don’t encourage him, April. I don’t wanna hear his puns this early in the morning.”

You deflate a bit at that, but Sans winks at you and guides you after them toward the kitchen. Undyne and Papyrus are already inside arguing over who will make breakfast. You take a seat on the bar with Alphys to your right and Sans joins you on your opposite side. You swallow, your nerves a bit jittery, but clear your throat. You need to start a conversation, make your relationship a little more friendly with Alphys. What should you even say?

“You sleep okay, Alphys?”

She seems kind of off-put by your question but plays with her fingers in front of her with her tail curling against the bottom of her chair. A bit shy, but it’s a cute display nonetheless.

“I-I slept f-fi-fine. How ab-about you?”

You smile and nod.

“I slept okay, but I guess I wasn’t expecting a cuddle buddy like you had.”

This instantly makes her face turn bright red and she’s a stuttering mess. Your words grab Undyne’s attention and she leans against the counter, teeth gleaming in interest.

“Oh yeah? Which of the bone bros was your cuddle buddy?” She whispers, but not really whispers to Alphys, “Betcha it was Sans.”

You glance at Sans and he seems unfazed by her comment. You lose a little vigor at his laidback reaction, but you’re not sure why. It’s not like you were expecting Sans to be a cuddler - if anything he seemed more like a little spoon in general considering he was only a little bit taller than you.

“Uhm, it was actually Papyrus. I don’t really know where Sans was, he wasn’t around when I woke up.”

Undyne loses a little face but turns with a sneer that would match that of a super villain. She cackles, much to your confusion, and you can hear Papyrus stutter.

“IT-IT WASN’T LIKE THAT! IT WAS MY JOB AS ROYAL GUARD TO PROTECT MY HUMAN FRIEND APRIL!”

Undyne snickers, sneer still in place.

“From what? Us? Your brother? PFFT! You bonehead!”

You can see a light orange blush to Papyrus’s face, protests coming from his mouth as Undyne takes him into a noogie. It has you furrow your brows. Papyrus was too sweet for this world, you ought to thank him, right?

“Well, even though I wasn’t expecting it, it was very thoughtful of you, Papyrus.”

They both stop. You see his skull light up a bit more.

“N-NOT A PROBLEM, APRIL! AHEM!” With a not-so-obvious change of topic, Papyrus comes to you with his award-winning smile, “ANYWAY, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE FOR BREAKFAST?”

Did he just call you by your name? That’s... new. Something in the back of your mind goes through your memories to see if he’s ever done that before now. A nagging feeling says something changed after the events of last night, but you keep it to yourself.

“Uhm, I’m not really picky.” You go to get up, “I can make my own breakfast though, it’s not a big de-“

A light tug on your arm has you stop in place, hidden below the counter and is gone as soon as it came. You sit back down and glance over at Alphys. She is glancing nervously as Undyne cranks the heat up on the stove. A sideways glance at Sans shows a slight bit of sweat dripping down the side of his skull. Is he nervous? That’s a first.

“No way, April! You’re my guest! I’ll cook you the BEST breakfast ever!”

With a battle cry, Undyne slams a pot on the heat and somehow a flame has managed to lick its way abnormally above the lip of the pot. You reflexively lean away from the kitchen, nervous that the flames might get out of hand.

“NO! I SHALL COOK THE GREATEST MEAL SHE HAS EVER EATEN!”

“In your dreams, BONEBOY! My house, my rules! Maybe next time we’ll sleep over at your house andYOU can cook!”

Papyrus stops still at that, his skull almost as bright as the flames of the stovetop.  **Almost**. With a stuttering start, they begin arguing over the next sleepover. You can feel your stomach twist a bit at that. You really didn’t want to think that far ahead.

Luckily, your phone starts ringing in the other room which gives you a perfect means of exit. Alphys comments on the old school ringtone.

“Who’s ph-phone is th-th-that?”

You slide out of your seat as you watch Papyrus and Undyne continue to try and outdo each other at cooking from the corner of your eye.

“Ahh, that’s me, I think. I’m gonna go grab that and I’ll be right back.”

You head over to the living room to find your phone had slid off the table and onto the floor. You had a super protective case so you nonchalantly pick it up and see what messages you had this morning.

A grimace paints your features as you see a few messages from your dad and stepmom, then a couple of spam emails.

What a great way to wake up you think with bitterness as you scroll through what they have to say. Not that you particularly care what they have to say right now; the anger and frustration is still fresh on your mind. Your dad is apologizing in probably the worst way possible — saying he’s sorry but you should’ve done more. Janet isn’t much better, trying her best to play the mother role she wishes you’d let her play. She’s trying to be the middleman and tell you how she’d do things, how you both handled things poorly, and that she knew best. She’d always wanted a daughter, but you could never shake the feeling that you weren’t what she was hoping for.

Of course, now is when she whispers in the back of your mind.

_You’re never going to be the person people want you to be. You’re never going to be able to fit in and please anyone. You’re never going to amount to anything. Not even your parents want you, even your stepparent. Talk about pathetic._

You can feel your shoulders slump a bit. Now was really not the time to be feeling be this way. You needed to smooth things over with Sans, and now Papyrus was acting weird too. On top of your dad just being — well, your dad — and your... Now was not the time. You were still trying to make a good impression on your new found monster community and this mood wasn’t helping. You sigh to yourself and take a deep breath.

It’s at that point that you smell smoke, and something burning. Something about your luck of getting out of troubling situations is really turning up today, or at least your likelihood of finding distractions. You put your phone away in your pocket and run back into the kitchen, only to find the stove on fire. Your eyes widen, you search frantically around the room for a fire extinguisher. Undyne is cackling with a spring in her step. Why is she just laughing?! You try to ignore her as you finally see one and take it to the stove. You can hear Papyrus saying something to you in the background, but adrenaline is coursing so hard in your ears that all you can do is focus on the task at hand. You’ve never used one, but it can’t be that hard, right? You point the tube opening toward the fire and squeeze the trigger. You jolt back a bit at the force but hold yourself firm until you completely put the fire out. You can’t help the blaming, concerned tone seeping into your voice.

“I was gone for maybe five minutes, what happened?!”

You glance at the others in the room. Undyne is pouting at the loss of her fire — you guess? — while Papyrus is there with her, a little more concerned at your behavior. Sans is casually looking at something on his phone and Alphys is a nervous wreck while she stares at you like a deer in the headlights.

“WE WERE JUST GETTING STARTED, APRIL! NOW WE’LL HAVE TO START OVER ON YOUR WONDERFUL BREAKFAST!”

You stand there stupefied at his response, while Undyne backs him up.

“YEAH! You never cook before or something!?”

You can’t believe this. No wonder Papyrus’ spaghetti was burnt in places. If he really used so much heat that the stove caught fire, of course, everything he cooks would be burnt. You’re actually more surprised that what was on the stove wasn’t more burnt, but you must’ve gotten back just as it caught fire. You run a distressed hand through your hair.

“Uhm, how about I cook something? I don’t know much, but at least I won’t have to worry about my safety...”

Undyne crosses her arms and sneers at you with wounded pride.

“You tryin’ to say that I can’t keep you safe? I used to be CAPTAIN of the ROYAL GUARD underground! I EVEN PROTECT THE ROYAL FAMILY! What’s a little fun in the kitchen, huh, punk?!”

Okay, this is not going well. You can feel your resolve falling away. Word this some other way, there has to be another way to go about saving yourself from this house burning down.

“It’s not that, Undyne, that’s not what I meant... I just, well...”

What would peak her interest and keep her from maiming you with one of those spears of hers?

“Maybe I can show you guys another technique?”

That must’ve done it, because now both she and Papyrus are all ears.

“YOU KNOW A TECHNIQUE, APRIL?”

“Yeah, what would you know about cooking?”

You didn’t really know much, but you spent a lot of time in the kitchen as a child with your family. Most of them could definitely put whatever you could do to shame, especially your Momo, but you still could do a few things. One of those things namely breakfast. You took a moment to examine what you may have at your disposal in their kitchen, finding a few basics that would make it a little easier and faster to make something. Some eggs that didn’t look like chicken eggs, some strange bunny shaped bread, some unusually square potatoes or tomatoes, you weren’t sure, then some weird MTT brand meat. It looked like it had sparkles in it, and you really hoped they were edible. Most of this looked like monster food from what you had seen at the monster markets you’d perused lightly trying to find that tea.

“Let me just show you guys, huh? It’ll take me about 20 minutes or so, but I’m sure I could make something.”

As if they were children entranced by a new toy, Undyne and Papyrus took stations right next to you as you got the ingredients out. Something easy like eggs, sausage, and toast would be fine. Maybe a little bit of the potato-tomato on the side? You’ll brown it a little on the stove and see how that works.

As you work, you can’t help a number of eyes watching as you move about the kitchen and cook what you can together before moving to the next item. Papyrus and Undyne don’t even ask you questions, only mumble things between each other about what you’re doing or what they would’ve done. You wouldn’t consider yourself graceful or captivating, but a quick glance has your audience gaining a new member. Sans is gazing at you with something soft in his expression, though you don’t glance long enough to figure out what it is.

A light flush comes to your cheeks. What was that look for? You try to chalk it up to maybe Sans looking at his brother. You know he was staring at you though. Papyrus is off to the side, not really near you now and his eyes met yours, not his brother’s. You take a deep breath. Chill, he’s probably just reminded of something, that's all. Maybe he’s relieved since he knows your cooking is edible?

You try not to think about it too much as you finish up and plate everything. You have Undyne grab some plates and Papyrus grab the silverware and glasses since they know the layout of this kitchen more than you do. Another flush comes to your cheeks as you think about the fact you have no idea if what you cooked is really any more edible than what Papyrus and Undyne were going to cook.

Everybody gathers at Undyne’s impressive dining table, complete with lion and tiger engravings on each leg and carvings along the edges. It reminds you so much of something out of the History channel on TV. Either way, you all take your seats around the table at spots with tableware. The food smells good, and at least it’s not burnt. You take a seat and immediately Papyrus and Sans take up the empty spots beside you. You blink alarmed at how quickly they take them, giving them both a sidelong glance that neither seem to notice, but nonetheless, you make a plate and encourage everyone else to do the same.

“It’s not much, but a basic breakfast. I’ve never cooked with monster food so... Here’s something.”

Undyne and Papyrus are the first to take bites, and instantly their faces light up. Undyne is scarfing down her plate in no time, and Papyrus has an equal vigor without the mess. At least he’s using silverware. You gaze down at your plate at the odd colors you see. Blue eggs, a pile of green potatoes/tomatoes?, some bunny shaped toast, and the glitter meat a bright shade of purple in a couple small patties to the side. It's not the most normal meal you’ve ever had, but you weren’t exactly at the most normal breakfast either. Surrounded by two skeletons, an intimidating fish woman, and a skittish yellow lizard/dinosaur as they begin to eat. They all seem to enjoy the food, Alphys and Sans included, while you still just glance at yours. It’s relieving to know that at least they like it, but you swallow hard as you raise a bite to your lips.

“Oh wow, this is AWESOME! April, you GOTTA try this!”

“YES! I WOULDN’T SAY THIS IS BETTER THAN MY SPAGHETTI, BUT IT IS CERTAINLY DELICIOUS!”

Alphys mumbles praises about the food, saying something similar to Papyrus and Undyne. Sans doesn’t say much, only eats his food in mild silence. You suppose out of any of them, he would be making a scene but Undyne and Papyrus are arguing already over who can best improve upon your recipe. You think that would include fire, lots of fire, and your stomach drops. Well, so much for your appetite. As you nibble lightly at the food on your fork, you feel a hand brush against yours from under the table. It startles you in place before firmly grasping yours. You glance under the table without really moving your head towards the hand holding. Sans has grasped your hand, not even glancing your way. You feel nervous all of a sudden as if you’re doing something scandalous. But you’re not really. He’s just holding your hand, almost like a way of encouragement. You take a deep breath and hold his hand back. He still doesn’t react, only eating his food.

_Oh, so now he wants to show you he cares? What a two-face he has. Wonder what he wants from you?_

Your heart sinks a bit at her accusation, and you grip his hand tighter almost instinctually. He does the same back, running his thumb across the back of it. It’s soothing, just a gentle wave back and forth. It reminds you of the first time you felt his bones, being that odd chalky texture, but smooth like marble.

_Why are you being so weird right now? Did you actually forget what he said last night? He doesn’t like you, you know he doesn’t. Why try and pretend?_

You don’t want to believe her, and this interaction between you frustrates her all the more.

_You’re such an idiot. Aren’t you listening? He’s tricking you! Why won’t you listen?! Ugh, you’re gonna regret this, and don’t you dare come crying to me!_

You manage to drown out her voice with the steady connection of your hands. It’s relieving to know that something so simple can pull you free of her grasp on your thoughts. You readjust the hold of your hands to where you both are intertwining fingers, and with that, she goes silent.

You refocus your attention on your food. You take your first bite, and to your own surprise, it’s not half bad. A little gritty thanks to the sparkles, but despite the colors, it’s not any different than if you were to cook this with human food. At least it’s not burnt you manage to tell yourself as you continue to eat. A healthy chatter comes about thanks to Papyrus and Undyne, Sans now making the occasional joke here and there. You and Alphys laugh at his jokes and the rest of the table groans. You all manage to finish everything so luckily there are no leftovers to put away. Once everybody puts down their silverware and starts to idly chat, you release Sans’ hand and get up, collecting the dishes as you go along. Papyrus looks at you encouragingly, getting up and beginning to help you.

“APRIL, YOU DON’T HAVE TO CLEAN UP, TOO. YOU COOKED, SO WE CAN CLEAN UP AFTER.”

Undyne gets up as well, but before she can say a word, what you recognize as Sans’ magic takes hold of the dishes and moves them all to the sink. He winks at you.

“nah, don’t worry, bro. i got it.”

They’re all wide-eyed at his declaration.

“You... You’re gonna clean?! When have you ever cleaned anything, punk!?”

Sans shrugs and meets Papyrus’ gaze.

“eh, it’s not that bad. but isn’t time for you guys to go train?”

As if they suddenly are sparked to life, Papyrus nyeh-heh-heh’s his way outside followed by Undyne carrying Alphys on her shoulders.

“OH RIGHT! LET’S GO PRACTICE APRIL’S TECHNIQUE!”

“DUDE, I’m totally gonna do it better than you!”

“Ahh! U-Un-Undyne! Put me doooowwwnnnn!”

You can’t help staring wide-eyed at their enthusiasm this morning, but Sans regains your attention, following after as he guides you to the kitchen. As you start to turn the water on and get the sink ready, you stare into the sink.

“So... You don’t exactly strike me as somebody who cleans, Sans.”

He chuckles a bit but comes next to you ready with a dry dish towel.

“not usually, but it’s not like i don’t know how.”

You smile and take a sponge, starting to scrub a dish.

“Fair enough, I guess you’ll be responsible for drying then?”

He hums acknowledgment.

You both clean for awhile, not really saying much to each other as the pile of dishes go down one at a time. It’s soothing to clean, knowing it’s one of the few things you’re actually good at, but it’s not long before he talks again.

“ya know,” he begins as he wipes a dish dry with the towel, “i’d be lying if i said i only came to help do the dishes.”

You pause for a moment, losing your composure before quickly regaining it again.

“Oh? Did you have something on your mind?”

He clears his throat.

“guess i oughta get straight to the point then.”

He puts the dish he’s drying down on the counter, wrapped in the towel, and turns to you. You try not to let your emotions get the best of you, to let  **her**  get the best of you, but you can still feel a knot forming in your stomach. You slowly finish what you were washing, placing it in the rinsing side of the sink and turn to him.

“i’m sorry about last night.”

That sentence alone leaves you with more questions than it answers. What is he sorry for? Was it what he did? Was it what he said? Was it something  **you**  said? Nothing really is cleared up, so you prompt him forward.

“Huh? What are you sorry for?”

He seems to contemplate his response, rubbing idly at his neck vertebrae with a hand and not maintaining eye contact with you. Maybe he’s saying sorry just to say sorry? You don’t understand him at all right now.

“i... i said some things that weren’t true, and i can tell it bothered you. like, how i avoided mentioning myself... when i was talking about enjoying your company.”

You can feel a slight frown paint your lips, but distract yourself with getting back to the dishes.

“...If you don’t, that’s okay. I mean, I get it. I’m not the most fun to be around, and you seem pretty observant. I’m sure you noticed that by now, everybody else just hasn’t yet.”

He hesitates, pondering your words before grabbing your arm and stopping you from your work.

“that’s not true.”

You both sit there a moment, unsure of what to do or say next. You let his sentence hang in the air, wondering about what you said that wasn’t true, if any of it. Why is he being this way all of a sudden? You had thought you had at least some grasp on his character, but he always manages to throw a curve ball that knocks away your line of sight.

“i... i think you’re a good person, and i really do enjoy hanging out with you. i just... i always try to look out for people and... sometimes that comes across the wrong way.”

You can understand that. He was trying to be objective, and you can only imagine that he was trying to be wary of you for Papyrus’ sake. But you can feel a warmth inside at his admission, and you’re glad for once she was wrong about one thing.

“Well... I appreciate that, Sans. I can kind of understand. You said you didn’t have very good experiences with humans in the past, so I get your hesitation. But... I’m glad you were honest with me.” You smile a little and turn to look at him, “It... Means a lot to me.”

You can see from behind the smile he gives you the slightest hint of relief, like a wave of tension, was taken off his shoulders. You start to get back to washing the dishes, and he starts to dry again. It’s a pleasant silence though, and you enjoy the tranquility for a change. You wonder if last night really affected him as much as it did you — of course, it affected you in more than one way — but from his look, maybe it did after all. You feel better about the relationship between you two, sensing a mutual understanding with Sans. He may not always be upfront, but that’s okay. He was still a good person, and you enjoyed his company too. You’re a little giddy that he admitted he enjoyed yours as well, relieving the unease you felt about your relationship.

Either way, you both finish the dishes, and he wipes his brow.

“i think i’ve met my cleaning quota for the year.  **dishes**  all i can handle. **”**

You giggle at that, knowing that you do more than this regularly. You wonder what his room looks like if this is his reaction to doing the dishes.

“Well, I appreciated the extra hands. There were more dishes than I thought.”

He leans against the counter, gazing at you as you dry off your hands.

“hey... i wanted to take your offer, if you’re still up for it.”

Huh, offer? You can’t recall what he’s referring to and you turn your head, furrowing your brows at him.

“What offer?”

He seems taken aback by your response, but shakes it off.

“about... uh, being sharing buddies, you know. from that late night question game.”

You feel a deep blush come to your face. Why was he mentioning that? You figured it was too soon, and he didn’t want to. But now he’s offering?

“O-Oh, right. I thought that... Well, maybe it was too weird a request, and that you didn’t want to do that with somebody you didn’t know very well...” You cover your face, “Gosh, I feel so embarrassed.”

He chuckles and taps one of the hands against your face.

“how about, uh, we start small? share something not that serious that nobody else knows and we can build up from there?”

You contemplate that and think that it’s a pretty good solution. You really didn’t expect him to ask you out of the blue, not that you really meant to ask him in the first place — it just felt like that’s what you should’ve done. The situation just felt right, and it seemed like such an obvious request at the time. You suppose he must’ve thought something similar if he’s willing to do it now.

“Uh, ok, sure. That sounds reasonable. I uhm,” you swallow, trying to think of something that wouldn’t be too damaging, but would still count, “When I was little, I used to stay up late and watch The Most Extreme on Animal Planet even though I was told not to because it was too ‘violent’.”

Sans is a little confused, he probably doesn’t know what the show is, considering he came to the surface after it stopped airing years ago.

“Just google it; you’ll find it.”

He shrugs.

“heh, fair enough. i used to tease papyrus in his sleep with a feather and whip cream.”

You try not to laugh, but a few stray chuckles come out.

“Aww, poor Papyrus. Was he a heavy sleeper?”

Sans winks.

“yeah, still is sometimes.”

You both laugh a bit, that cozy atmosphere still lingering between you two. You’re glad that you made up with him, and that you may end up having somebody to share things with. It feels so nice, even though it may not work out, you’re willing to try. It doesn’t have to be much, little things here and there. It at least keeps you out of your thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to make sure something was posted on the anniversary so this may not be my best work, but I do try to post on this story and my side story mass-up thing (it's a huge mess, lol). Anyway, I'll try to post soon, but I may have some bigger road blocks in the near future, so just either check this every now and then, or subscribe.
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Midnight out! ;)


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